Toyohara Kunichika
Japanese (1835 – 1900) Primary

Scene from a Kabuki Play, Goddess with Bow and Arrows and Samurai with Sword (Possibly from a Triptych)

19th century

Greatest Dimensions
14 3/8 x 10 in. (36.513 x 25.4 cm)

This object has the following keywords:

• actors - Persons who use movement, gesture, facial expressions, speaking, and intonation to create a fictional character for the stage, motion pictures, or television.
• arrows - Projectiles generally consisting of a straight, slender shaft with a sharp point or carrying a sharp edged or pointed head of stone or metal, shot from a bow. More developed versions also have flights near the butt to stabilize their trajectory.
• bows - Stringed projectile weapons designed to propel arrows, generally consisting of a long stave of wood, metal, fiberglass, or other flexible material, with a length of strong string fastened to the tips of the stave which is bent in a curve, either permanently or from the tension of the string. The string is drawn back, holding the arrow by means of a notch in its rear tip, and propels the arrow upon release.
• edged weapons - Weapons featuring a sharp edge or point for cutting, thrusting, clubbing, slashing, or various combinations thereof.
• goddesses - Female superhuman persons or other beings who are worshipped and believed to have power over nature and the fortunes of mankind.
• Kabuki
• kimonos - Loose, wide-sleeved garments fastened around the waist with an obi or broad sash, traditionally worn by Japanese men and women.
• oban - Japanese prints of a standard size about 15 3/4 by 10 1/2 inches.
• plays - Dramatic or theatrical performances staged by actors before an audience; acted representations of an action or story.
• samurai - Members of a class of military retainers of the daimios in feudal Japan, or any members of the Japanese military caste.
• Samurai
• Toyohara, Kunichika, 1835-1900 - Sources:
  - Time present and time past, c1999:
  - OCLC, 3/28/00
• Ukiyo-e - Distinctive genre in painting and other media, but most prominently in woodblock printing. It arose in the Edo period (1600-1868) and built up a broad popular market among the middle classes. Subject matter typically focused on brothel districts and kabuki theatres, with formats ranging from single sheet prints to book illustrations. Generally, the style is characterized by a mixture of the realistic narrative of the Kamakura period and the mature decorative style of the Momoyama and Edo periods. Distinctive styles and specialties in subject matter were developed by different schools throughout the period.
• woodcuts - Prints made using the process of woodcut, which is a relief process in which the design is cut into and printed from the plank side of a wood block; distinct from "wood engraving (process)," which is a relief process using the grain end of a wood block.