Original 1871 Toyohara Kunichika Japanese Woodblock Print – Kabuki Actors – Two For Sale

An exceptionally decorative original Japanese colour woodblock print by celebrated ukiyo-e artist Toyohara Kunichika (1835–1900), dating to 1871 and depicting a scene from the kabuki play Gion Sairei Shinkōki.The composition depicts the actors Bandō Mitsugorō VI in the role of Yuki-hime and Sawamura Tosshō II as Mashiba Hisayoshi, dressed in extraordinarily elaborate theatrical costume. Particularly striking are the rich turquoise, blue and coral-red pigments, intricate armour and textile patterns, and Yuki-hime\'s dramatic floral headdress.The print bears Kunichika\'s signature within a toshidama cartouche. This has been identified against an institutional example held by the Tokyo Metropolitan Library, which records the design as published in Tokyo by Tsutaya Kichizō in Meiji 4, corresponding to 1871.This example comprises two original ōban sheets from what was originally a three-sheet triptych. It has subsequently been professionally presented together within a simple black glazed frame and wide white mount, giving it a particularly strong decorative presence while retaining the character of the original nineteenth-century print.There is some minor age-related toning and minor wear consistent with an antique Japanese print of this period. The frame measures approximately 60 × 48 cm / 23.6 × 18.9 inches.