Kinugawa Tanizō in A Mirror of Brave and Loyal Wrestlers (Chūkō Sekitori Kagami)

Konishi Hirosada's 1848 chuban print at the Cleveland Museum of Art depicts the historical sumo wrestler Kinugawa Tanizo within the series A Mirror of Brave and Loyal Wrestlers (Chuko Sekitori Kagami). The series exemplifies the workaround that Osaka printmakers developed in response to the Tempo Reform restrictions on actor portraits — by framing the prints as historical wrestler portraits within a moralizing series title celebrating loyalty and bravery, designers could circulate images that audiences nonetheless recognized as featuring contemporary kabuki actors in costume. The 1848 dating places this print at the early edge of Hirosada's peak productive period, when the easing of Tempo restrictions allowed the chuban yakusha-e tradition to resume full activity. The print's vivid colors and detailed pattern work demonstrate the technical sophistication of Osaka color printing at mid-century. Cleveland's holding, acquired in 1992, joins the museum's broader collection of Osaka chuban prints.