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Onoe Baikō VI as Oiwa, Number Four of the series Actor Portraits
Onoe Baikō VI as Oiwa, Number Four of the series Actor Portraits

Onoe Baikō VI as Oiwa, Number Four of the series Actor Portraits

Artist (Japanese, active 1920s)
Publisher (Japanese, 1836 – 1891)
Date1926
PeriodTaishō period (1912–1926)
CultureJapanese
MediumWoodblock print; ink and color on paper
ClassificationPrints
Credit LineMuseum purchase through the David J. Patten Asian Art Fund, 2020
Object number2020.15
Oiwa is a tragic and terrifying heroine from the famous play Ghost Story of Yotsuya on the Tōkaidō, a tale of domestic abuse, betrayal, murder, and revenge from beyond the grave. The lover of Oiwa’s faithless husband Iemon and her family conspire to poison her, leaving her grotesquely disfigured. In death, she becomes a vengeful ghost. One by one, her tormenters are killed, and Oiwa haunts Iemon mercilessly until he is slain by an enemy. To create this chilling print, Shin’ei likely consulted promotional photographs of the actor Onoe Baikō wearing elaborate make up and prostheses to convey Oiwa’s bruised face and drooping eye.
On View
Not on view
DimensionsSheet: 15 1/4 × 10 1/4 in. (38.8 × 26 cm)
Image: 14 7/8 × 10 1/4 in. (37.8 × 26 cm)
Support (orignal folder): 17 1/2 × 10 13/16 in. (44.5 × 27.5 cm)
Poem by Ise: (Actor Onoe Baikô IV as) Kumagai's Wife (Nyôbô) Sagami, from the series Comparisons for Thirty-six Selected Poems (Mitate sanjûrokkasen no uchi)
Poem by Ise: (Actor Onoe Baikô IV as) Kumagai's Wife (Nyôbô) Sagami, from the series Comparisons for Thirty-six Selected Poems (Mitate sanjûrokkasen no uchi)
Utagawa Kunisada
1852
Actor Ichikawa Sadanji I as Wada's Retainer Busuke in the Play Revenge at Igagoe, from an untitled series of twenty-two actor portraits
Actor Ichikawa Sadanji I as Wada's Retainer Busuke in the Play Revenge at Igagoe, from an untitled series of twenty-two actor portraits
Toyohara Kunichika
1873
Actor Sawamura Tosshō II as Mondo in Shiraito Mondo Kasane Tsuyu Neya no Sayokinu, from an untitled series of actor portraits on the backs of shamisens
Actor Sawamura Tosshō II as Mondo in Shiraito Mondo Kasane Tsuyu Neya no Sayokinu, from an untitled series of actor portraits on the backs of shamisens
Toyohara Kunichika
1868
Poem by Sōjō Henjō: Actor Onoe Kikujirō II as Mitsuhide's Wife Satsuki, from the series Comparisons for Thirty-six Selected Poems
Poem by Sōjō Henjō: Actor Onoe Kikujirō II as Mitsuhide's Wife Satsuki, from the series Comparisons for Thirty-six Selected Poems
Utagawa Kunisada
1852
Poem by Nakatsukasa: (Actor Onoe Kikugorô III as) the Ghost of Yasukata (Yasukata no bôrei), from the series Comparisons for Thirty-six Selected Poems (Mitate sanjûrokkasen no uchi)
Poem by Nakatsukasa: (Actor Onoe Kikugorô III as) the Ghost of Yasukata (Yasukata no bôrei), from the series Comparisons for Thirty-six Selected Poems (Mitate sanjûrokkasen no uchi)
Utagawa Kunisada
1852
Image Not Available for Actor Bandō Mitsugorō VI as Shindōzaemon's Daughter Yushide, from an untitled series
Actor Bandō Mitsugorō VI as Shindōzaemon's Daughter Yushide, from an untitled series
Utagawa Yoshitora
c. 1860
Naritaya Sanshō (Ichikawa Danjūrō VI) and Naritaya Hakuen (Ichikawa Ebizō V), from the series Collection of One Hundred Actors
Naritaya Sanshō (Ichikawa Danjūrō VI) and Naritaya Hakuen (Ichikawa Ebizō V), from the series Collection of One Hundred Actors
Utagawa Kunisada
Poem by Saigû no nyôgo: (Actor Iwai Hanshirô VI as) Minazuru-hime, from the series Comparisons for Thirty-six Selected Poems (Mitate sanjûrokkasen no uchi)
Poem by Saigû no nyôgo: (Actor Iwai Hanshirô VI as) Minazuru-hime, from the series Comparisons for Thirty-six Selected Poems (Mitate sanjûrokkasen no uchi)
Utagawa Kunisada
1852
Poem by Kiyowara Motosuke: (Actor Ichikawa Danzô VI as) the Hunter (Ryôshi) Shibaroku, from the series Comparisons for Thirty-six Selected Poems (Mitate sanjûrokkasen no uchi)
Poem by Kiyowara Motosuke: (Actor Ichikawa Danzô VI as) the Hunter (Ryôshi) Shibaroku, from the series Comparisons for Thirty-six Selected Poems (Mitate sanjûrokkasen no uchi)
Utagawa Kunisada
1852
Onoe Kikugorō V as Tsuneya, with Ichikawa Danjūrō IX as Tokiyori 尾上菊五郎の常也、市川団十郎の時頼 Onoe Kikug…
One Hundred Roles of Baikō, complete series bound in album
Toyohara Kunichika
1893
Onoe Matsusuke IV as Gorōji in Kagatobi, from an untitled series known as “Flowers of the Theater”
Onoe Matsusuke IV as Gorōji in Kagatobi, from an untitled series known as “Flowers of the Theater”
Yamamura Kōka (Toyonari)
1920
The Actor Onoe Kikujirō II as Oritsu of Gion
The Actor Onoe Kikujirō II as Oritsu of Gion
Utagawa Kunisada
1855
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