Kunichika - Baiko - Loyal Maid and Crows

Toyohara Kunichika

Loyal Maid and Crows - Portrait of Baiko as the loyal maid Ohatsu in the play "Kagamiyama." Her mistress, Onoe, sends her out at night to mail a letter in an elegant lacquer box. The servant is upset by all the bad omens she sees on the way, including a lantern going out and crows cawing. She is caught in a street fight and the lacquer box falls to the ground, revealing Onoe's suicide note. Here, Ohatsu clutches the box to her chest, frowning as she watches the crows flying overhead. She wears a blue patterned kimono tied with a black obi, her hair simply arranged in a smooth bun with a single hairpin. The inset above shows the crows against the dark night sky.

One Hundred Roles of Baiko - In 1893, Kunichika was commissioned to create the series "One Hundred Roles of Baiko," chronicling the diverse characters played by the famous actor Onoe Kikugoro V, whose pen name was "Baiko." These fantastic prints feature a large portrait of Kikugoro V in one of his major roles, along with a small scene showing a supporting actor from the same play. 

Special detail - Burnishing on the black kimono collars and the beauty's black obi.

Date: 1893.

Publisher: Fukuda Kumajiro

Condition: Good color, margins as shown, some staining, not backed.