Nagauta Geigoto, Suisen tanzen (Nagauta Geigoto, Narcissus) / Tosei mitate sanju-rokkasen 當盛見立 三十六花撰 (Contemporary Kabuki Actors Likened to Thirty-Six Flowers (Immortals of Poetry))

Nagauta Geigoto, Suisen tanzen (Nagauta Geigoto, Narcissus) is a yakusha-e from Utagawa Kunisada's Tosei mitate sanju-rokkasen (Contemporary Kabuki Actors Likened to Thirty-Six Flowers / Immortals of Poetry), pairing a contemporary Edo kabuki actor in a nagauta-accompanied dance role (geigoto, performance piece) of the tanzen swaggering-dandy type with one of the thirty-six classical poetic immortals and with the narcissus (suisen) of winter. The tanzen dance, drawn from the early-Edo footloose otokodate culture, gave kabuki actors one of their most beloved shosagoto vehicles, while the narcissus - blooming in the cold months when the tanzen was traditionally performed - supplies a perfectly attuned floral emblem. Kunisada, the dominant designer of yakusha-e in nineteenth-century Edo ukiyo-e, gives the figure the confident half-length pose and patterned robe of the role, with strong outline and saturated colour reflecting his mature manner. The title cartouche and flower cartouche identify the series. The British Museum impression made available through ukiyo-e.org supports broader study of Kunisada's literary-theatrical mitate practice. Source: ukiyo-e.org / British Museum (https://ukiyo-e.org/image/bm/AN00431609_001_l).