• Ichimura Uzaemon XIII as the wrestler Chōkichi (はなれ駒長吉) and Nakamura Utaemon IV on the right as Chōgorō (ぬれ髪長五郎) from the play <i>Diary of Two Butterflies in the Pleasure Quarters</i> (<i>Futatsu Chōchō Kuruwa Nikki</i> - 双蝶仝曲輪日記)
Ichimura Uzaemon XIII as the wrestler Chōkichi (はなれ駒長吉) and Nakamura Utaemon IV on the right as Chōgorō (ぬれ髪長五郎) from the play <i>Diary of Two Butterflies in the Pleasure Quarters</i> (<i>Futatsu Chōchō Kuruwa Nikki</i> - 双蝶仝曲輪日記)
Ichimura Uzaemon XIII as the wrestler Chōkichi (はなれ駒長吉) and Nakamura Utaemon IV on the right as Chōgorō (ぬれ髪長五郎) from the play <i>Diary of Two Butterflies in the Pleasure Quarters</i> (<i>Futatsu Chōchō Kuruwa Nikki</i> - 双蝶仝曲輪日記)
Ichimura Uzaemon XIII as the wrestler Chōkichi (はなれ駒長吉) and Nakamura Utaemon IV on the right as Chōgorō (ぬれ髪長五郎) from the play <i>Diary of Two Butterflies in the Pleasure Quarters</i> (<i>Futatsu Chōchō Kuruwa Nikki</i> - 双蝶仝曲輪日記)
Ichimura Uzaemon XIII as the wrestler Chōkichi (はなれ駒長吉) and Nakamura Utaemon IV on the right as Chōgorō (ぬれ髪長五郎) from the play <i>Diary of Two Butterflies in the Pleasure Quarters</i> (<i>Futatsu Chōchō Kuruwa Nikki</i> - 双蝶仝曲輪日記)
Ichimura Uzaemon XIII as the wrestler Chōkichi (はなれ駒長吉) and Nakamura Utaemon IV on the right as Chōgorō (ぬれ髪長五郎) from the play <i>Diary of Two Butterflies in the Pleasure Quarters</i> (<i>Futatsu Chōchō Kuruwa Nikki</i> - 双蝶仝曲輪日記)
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Utagawa Kuniyoshi (歌川国芳) (artist 11/15/1797 – 03/05/1861)

Ichimura Uzaemon XIII as the wrestler Chōkichi (はなれ駒長吉) and Nakamura Utaemon IV on the right as Chōgorō (ぬれ髪長五郎) from the play Diary of Two Butterflies in the Pleasure Quarters (Futatsu Chōchō Kuruwa Nikki - 双蝶仝曲輪日記)

Print

1851
9.75 in x 28.5 in (Overall dimensions) Japanese color woodblock print
Signed: Signed: Ichiyūsai Kuniyoshi ga
一勇斎国芳画
Artist's seal: Pauwlonia
Publisher: (possibly pronounced) Jōsen (not in Marks)
Censor's seals: Mera and Watanabe
Waseda - right panel
Waseda - left panel This scene is probably from a scene in act four of the play mentioned above. Chōgorō, the senior wrestler, visits the home of Chōkichi where they quarrel over recent sumō bouts. Afterwards they make peace and become good friends. However, their friendship is tested when they forced to take sides in a dispute between their patrons who are rivals for the same woman, a leading courtesan in the Yoshiwara district.

The figure of Chōgorō on the right is wearing robes decorated with shōgi (将棋) tiles. We don't know the reason for this motif choice, but will try to find out. Or, perhaps it is simply a decorative design and nothing more than that. However, we did find one other later image of Chōgorō from an 1864 triptych in the Museum of Fine Arts where the figure is also dressed in a robe covered with shōgi pieces. (See the attached jpeg.)

****

Publisher (phonetic seal - 上仙): Jōsen? [This is only one possible reading of these two characters. 'Ue-sen' is another way it can be read.]
Nakamura Utaemon IV (四代目中村歌右衛門: 1/1836-2/1852) (actor)
actor prints (yakusha-e - 役者絵) (genre)
Ichimura Uzaemon XIII (十三代目市村羽左衛門: 1/1851 to 1862) (actor)
sumō (相撲) (genre)