Comment - Kabuki scene from "Tale of the Soga Brothers" ("Soga monogatari", "曽我物語"), with the elder brother "Soga Gorô" ("曽我五郎") standing at right, scowling unhappily as he holds one edge of a large blue Edo kite ("Edo-tako", "江戸凧") with white kanji ("ji tako", "字凧"). Soga Gorô wears very unusual, long side-whiskers, which give him a strange appearance. In the center, his friend, the strongman Asahina, is cuddling down. Kobayashi Asahina (小林 朝比奈) was a friend of the famous Soga Brothers. He holds the edge of the Edo-kite with one hand and a large spool of string in the other. The thick rope on the bottom of the woodblock, is attached to the kite. The ropes are part of the two long tails of the Edo kite. Asahina wears an outer kimono with wide colorful bands over a red under robe patterned with crane feathers that match the crest on his shoulder. His heavy sideburns and distinctive red "saruguma" or "monkey makeup" give him an impressive appearance. Asahina looks over his shoulder with a worried expression at the matron at left. She holds a blue and white kimono and a black court cap in her upraised hand. A cloud-like border separates the figures from a landscape with banners flying above rooftops and Mount Fuji in the distance.

On the right panel, kabuki super star "Ichikawa Ebizo" ("市川海老蔵") appears as "Soga Gorô", the elder one of the Soga brothers ("曽我五郎"). Strongman Asahina in the center panel may be the kabuki star "Jiǔ Suì Ichikawa" ("九歲市川"). The left panel shows the Kabuki star "Onoe HayashiTakashi" ("尾上林孝") in a female kabuki role.


Series - ~


Artist - see Biography


Signature -"GoDotei Kunisada-ga" ("五渡亭国貞画") on all three panels with seals


Publisher - ~


Image Size - 34.29 X 71.8 cm (13 1/2" x 28 1/4") + margins as shown


Condition - triptych; nishiki-e (cloured woodblock); Vertical ôban (ôban tate-e); three single panels