Girl’s Portrait with a Marionette of a Sumō Wrestler (Sumō ningyō hana no torikumi)

In this series, figures of beauties with marionettes of wrestlers are depicted as torsos (the so-called semi-figures hanshin). They were commissioned by the publisher Magobei of the Kitaya House, though in point of fact they may actually have been commissioned by a producer of marionettes of sumō wrestlers. Each marionette can be identified by its apron with the emblem or name of a wrestler. The elegant composition, graded background and perfect technical execution also explain the rare presence of the signature of engraver Matsushima Fusajirō. (See Helena Honcoopová, Kunisada, Praha 2005, pp. 98 and 99)