Kunichika - Mirror of Demonic People, Good and Evil - Nezumi Kozo Jirokichi

Toyohara Kunichika

This print depicts an actor playing the role of Nezumi Kozo Jirokichi  which was one of the names by which the famous late-Edo thief Nezumi Kozo was known. Nezumi Kozo became famous as a "chivalrous thief" for robbing from powerful daimyo lords and supposedly giving to the poor. He was beheaded by the Edo magistrate in 1831 after having summarily divorced his wives in order to allow them to escape collective punishment from the authorities. Jirokichi is now one of the most famous thieves in Japanese history, and is often likened to Robin Hood.

The work is taken from the series "Mirror of Demonic People, Good and Evil" (善悪鬼人鏡) by the artist Toyohara Kunichika.

Date: 1868

Publisher: Tsunokuniya Isaburo (津國屋伊三郎) 

Condition: Good color and impression, minor damage, cropped as shown, not backed.