|
|
| Onoe
Kikugoro V as Chokichi (right) and Nakamura Utaemon IV
as Yoshibei (left) in Sumida haru geisha katagi (The Character of
a geisha in the Sumida Spring) performed at the Nakamura Theatre in
03/1838 The actor Shikan II was adopted by Utaemon III in 1836 and subsequently took the name Utaemon IV. The white herons and black crows on the kimono—symbolising innocence and bad luck respectively—immediately identify the character of Yoshibei. After saving him from a robber on the banks of the O River, Yoshibei kills the unfortunate Chokichi in order to obtain the money he is carrying; in the process his little finger is bitten off. Yoshibei does not realise that he has killed the younger brother of his wife Koume. When Koume sees the missing finger in the corpse's mouth, she realises her husband is responsible. To bear the guilt herself she cuts off her own finger and kills herself. The impetuous Yoshibei and the gentle Chokichi are strongly contrasted in these prints. Each can stand by itself, but when they are paired they make a very effective diptych. |
