Explore the Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami about the Subject of this artwork, Actor Ichikawa Ebijūrō as Samurai.
The print depicts a scene from the jidaimono (時代物) history play Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami (菅原伝授手習鑑) (The Secrets of Calligraphy), "one of the 3 great masterpieces of Gidayū-kyōgen" (義太夫狂言). Originally written in 1746 for the ningyō jōruri (人形浄瑠璃) puppet theatre by Takeda Izumo I, Miyoshi Shōraku, Namiki Senryū I and Takeda Izumo II, it was first staged for kabuki the following year. The five-act play centres on Sugawara no Michizane (菅原道真), a tragic hero from the Heian period. Hangandai Terukuni is a minor character who acts as Sugawara's escort and as a representative of the retired Emperor Uda. Hokuchō's print commemorates a performance of the play at Osaka's Kado no Shibai theatre in the third month of 1823.
Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami Osaka jidaimono Heian period kabuki Sugawara no Michizane Gidayū-kyōgen