Actor Segawa Kikunojō III as Oshizu, the Wife of Tanabe Bunzō

The rare print by Sharaku corresponds with the ōkubi-e or actor’s bust. In addition to the author’s signature Tōshusai Sharaku ga (a painting by Tōshusai Sharaku), it also bears the censor’s seal kiwame (approved) and a collector’s seal Wakai Oyaji. The actor Segawa Kikunojō III (1751–1810) is presented here as Oshizu, wife of Tanabe Bunzō, a character from the drama “The Iris Blossom and the Story of Soga Brothers from the Bunroku Era (1593–1596)” (Hana ayame Bunroku Soga). As the title suggests, the drama elaborates the motif of the vengeance of the legendary Soga brothers, who avenged their father’s death in 1193.