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Actor Nakamura Shikan IV as Yamanaka Tôtarô, from the series Mirror of Demonic People, Good and Evil (Zen'aku kijin kagami)


「善悪奇人鏡 山中藤太郎」(四代目中村芝翫)
Toyohara Kunichika (Japanese, 1835–1900)
Publisher: Tsunoi (Japanese)
Blockcutter: Ôta Utakichi (Hori Uta) (Japanese)
Japanese
Edo period–Meiji era
1868 (Keiô 4/Meiji 1), intercalary 4th month

Medium/Technique Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
Dimensions Vertical ôban; 36 x 24.3 cm (14 3/16 x 9 9/16 in.)
Credit Line William Sturgis Bigelow Collection
Accession Number11.44447
NOT ON VIEW
ClassificationsPrints

Catalogue Raisonné Iwakiri et al., Edo no eiyu II (2010), #102; Newland, Time Present and Time Past (1999), #53; Mukai Nobuo, "Keiô yonen no Zen'aku kijin kagami," in Rekishi dokuhon, 1976.12
DescriptionNote that the censor's seal used here, with two characters indicating the month, is different from the one used on, e.g., 11.44440 and 11.44449, which uses only one, different character for the month.
Signed Kunichika hitsu
国周筆
Marks Censor's seal: Dragon intercalary 4 aratame
Blockcutter's mark: Hori Uta
改印:辰壬四改
彫師:彫卯多
ProvenanceBy 1911, purchased by William Sturgis Bigelow (b. 1850–d. 1926), Boston [see note 1]; 1911, gift of Bigelow to the MFA. (Accession Date: January 19, 2005)

NOTES:
[1] Much of Bigelow's collection of Asian art was formed during his residence in Japan between 1882 and 1889, although he also made acquisitions in Europe and the United States. Bigelow deposited many of these objects at the MFA in 1890 before donating them to the Museum's collection at later dates.