Kunisada: Sawamura Tanosuke III as Hinadori, Peach Blossom 雛鳥

Artist: Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1864)Title:  Hinadori 雛鳥, Joshi no momonohana (Hinadori, Peach Blossom)  Series: Tosei mitate sanju-rokkasen 當盛見立 三十六花撰 (Contemporary Kabuki Actors Likened to Thirty-Six Flowers (Immortals of Poetry)) Date: 1862, 9th Month Portrait of Sawamura Tanosuke III as Hinadori, Peach Blossom. Here we see the onnagata specialist Sawamura Tanosuke III in this female role. She wears a red kimono decorated with fruit tree blossoms , and clasps her hands together in delight. Her hair is decorated in a manner fit for a festival day, and her white collar has been deeply embossed. Branches of peach blossoms intertwine with the title cartouche. Hinadori 雛鳥 is a role in play 'Mt. Imo and Mt. Se; A Tale of Womanly Virtue' (‘Imoseyama onna teikin’). This play was first staged in 1771 in Osaka, but must have become a well-loved kabuki play. The story may be compared to Romeo and Juliet, as it involves a young and handsome Koganosuke, who falls in love at first sight with the y