SADANOBU HASEGAWA III Bunraku Theater LOVE SUICIDE Stage Puppet Tissue Woodblock

$150.00
By The Vault by Gary Germer
Minus Plus


Hasegawa Sadanobu III (1881–1963), 1920's original Japanese color woodblock print, from his series titled The Illustrated Collection of Famous Japanese Puppets of the Osaka Bunrakuza. 

 Wood block print showing of the stage set for Act 1, Scene 2, The Kawachi House (Kawashō 河庄), from the play Shinjū Ten no Amijima [The Love Suicide at Amajima] written by Chikamatsu Monzaemon (1653-1725), which premiered in January 1721. Based on a true-life story of an Osaka shopkeeper and a prostitute who commit double-suicide on the Amijima Daichō Temple Grounds to be reborn as lovers "on the same lotus," the subject was soon prohibited due to real-life copycat double-suicides.


As originally issued, this print is complete with its tissue overlay showing the outlines of three puppet characters as they appear on stage.

The tissue is intact, has a stain at the upper right. The print is unstained.

Print attached to black matte, print measures 14 3/8" x 9 3/4". 

60-5856