Comment - Triptych of 23 kites with pictures of the actual Kabuki stars of the 1864 theatre season in Edo, as "Kites Flying in the Blue Clouds". The sky is depicted with a subtle bokashi shading. The upper background of the prints shows a typical contemporary Edo skyline with rooftops, temples, a pagoda, and even mount Fuji in the far distance. The lower background shows an ensemble of densely packed houses of the capital city, with mostly the rooftops or the open upper stories to be seen. Some pole-flags suggest restaurants The actors depicted on the kites rise up in the author's or open public's favor, some of them remble or even fall down. The print is a typical mitate-e, employing allusions, puns, and incongruities, to parody the actual kabuki stars. Every kabuki star is elaborately mocked with his or her peculiarities.
 

With the exception of the first kite (No. 1), all other ones from the point of bridle lines are edo-kaku kites. The right panel upper right kite is a yakko kite. presumably with the yakko face of the kabuki star Kikujiro Onoe-II (二代目-尾上 菊次郎). next to him is Ichikawa Shinsha-I / Ichikawa Monnosuke-V (初代-市川 新車 / 五代目-市川 門之助) and on the left, framing Mount Fuji is Bando Hikosaburo-V (五代目-坂東 彦三郎). the one with the Aragoto makeup maybe Sawamura Tanosuke-III (三代目-澤村 田之助). Next to him is a Daruma edo kaku kite with the face of Iwai Shiwaka-II /Hanshiro Iwai-VIII (二代目-岩井 紫若 / 八代目-岩井 半四郎). Other identified kabuki stars following are Bando Muraemon-I (初代-坂東 村右衛門), Arashi Yoshiroku (嵐 吉六), Hirogoro Nakamura (中村 広五郎), Kyuzo Ichikawa-III (三代目-市川 九蔵), Nakamura Shikan-IV (四代目-中村 芝翫), Bando Kamezo-I (初代-坂東 亀蔵), Ichikawa Kodanji-IV (四代目-市川 小團次), Keizo Ichikawa-VI (六代目-市川 團蔵), Eisaburo Onoe (尾上 栄三郎), Fukusuke Nakamura-II (二代目-中村 福助), Bando KokorozashiuKa-II (二代目-坂東 志うか), Ichimura Kakitsu-IV (四代目-市村 家橘), Seki Sanjuro-V (五代目-関 三十郎), Nakamura Tsuruzo-I (初代-中村 鶴蔵), Ichikawa Kodanji-IV (四代目-市川 小團次), Kawarasaki Gonjuro-I / Ichikawa Danjuro-IX (初代-河原崎 権十郎 / 九代目-市川 團十郎), Sawamura Sojuro-II / Suketakaya Takasuke-IV (二代目-澤村 訥升 / 四代目-助高屋 高助), and Ichikawa Yaozou-VI (六代目-市川 八百蔵).

Series - ~


Artist - see Biography


Signature - Center and left panel with yellow epithet ("Ichibaisai") and reddish calabash otoshidama ("YoshiHaru-Ga", "painted by Yoshiharu"). Left panel only shows YOSHIHARU's calabash otoshidama.
Circular date-aratame censor seal near signature otoshidama cartouches on right and left panel (子十改, Ko jū aratame) from 1864.

Publisher - Iseya Tokichi (伊勢屋 藤吉) on left and right panel on vertical cartouche with his "Ito" seal (伊勢藤) specificly used in 1863/1864

Image Size - 35.6cm X  73.2 cm  (14 1/16" x 28 13/16") + margins as shown


Condition - triptych; nishiki-e (cloured woodblock); vertical ôban (ôban tate-e); trimmed