Print designed by Utagawa Yoshimaru and published by Nishinomiya Shinroku, showing the interior of the Nakamura Theatre in Sakai Street before the fire in 1841 that destroyed it and resulted in a move to Saruwaka Street.
We are at the back of the theatre in the second-floor gallery (sajiki) known as the ‘deaf man’s gallery’ (tsunbo sajiki) because of the difficulty of hearing the actors from here when the house is full. We are looking towards the main stage at the far end, during a performance of Sukeroku yukari no Edo zakura (Sukeroku’s affinity for the cherry blossoms of Edo), one of the most popular and colourful plays in the Kabuki repertoire.