Actors Kataoka Gado II as Florist (Hanaya) Tokubei (R) and Nakamura Daikichi III as Tokubei's Wife (Tsuma) Ofusa (L)

This 1855 color woodblock print by Utagawa Kunisada portrays two kabuki actors in role: Kataoka Gado II as the florist (hanaya) Tokubei on the right, and Nakamura Daikichi III as Tokubei's wife Ofusa on the left. The pair is presented in the standard two-figure yakusha-e format that Kunisada used throughout his career to record on-stage couples and pair scenes, and the print is held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. By 1855 Kunisada was a decade into his Toyokuni III phase, established as the dominant designer of Edo kabuki prints, with a stable of long-standing publishers and an unrivaled reputation among Edo theatergoers. The print captures both actors in costume and in character, with the close attention to facial likeness and the textile detailing for which Kunisada was prized. Nakamura Daikichi III was one of the leading onnagata of the period, specializing in female roles; the print is a record of his portrayal of the dutiful wife opposite Kataoka Gado II's tradesman husband. Stylistically the design shows the rich color, dense pattern work, and confident outline drawing of Kunisada's mid-Toyokuni III period, with each actor's crests (mon) and personal accessories carefully included as markers of celebrity identification. The Art Institute of Chicago's impression preserves the bright color values typical of well-kept mid-1850s editions and stands as a representative document of mid-Ansei kabuki performance.