Koshimoto Okaru (こしもとおかる) from the play Kanadehon Chushingura (仮名手本忠臣蔵). Original color woodblock print, published 1849. Signed: Hirosada.
The performer of the Onagata role is the actor Sawamura Kito (沢村其答). However his name is not stated on the sheet.
Hirosada was the most terrifying, most expressive and technically most perfect artist of Osakas in the years 1847 - 1852. Following the Tempo Reforms, beginning 1847 he published the first koban-format actor chest portraits, which he continued in chuban-format. On the sheets were no names of the actors, instead only their role names; however the audience easily recognized the mimes due to their resemblance. As of 1849 Hirosada started to portray the actors more and more as whole figures, nevertheless still in the by the audience well accepted chuban-format.
CHUBAN, 24,7 x 17,7 CM
From a Viennese private collection