Kunichika - One Hundred Roles of Baiko

Toyohara Kunichika

In this print from the great Baiko series of 1893, Baiko plays the controversial traveller Tenjiku Tokubi. The character though was a Japanese adventurer and writer of the early 17th century. He travelled through Asia, hence his nickname, meaning India. The kabuki actor Onoe Matsusuke plays Sokan, Tokubi’s father, pictured in the upper cartouche.

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.

Date: 1893.

Publisher: Fukuda Kumajiro

Condition: Very good color and condition, margins as shown, not backed.

Genre: Ukiyo-e, Yakusha-e

Medium: Woodblock Print