Odaka Tonomo, Nazo no ayame (Odaka Tonomo, Iris) / Tosei mitate sanju-rokkasen 當盛見立 三十六花撰 (Contemporary Kabuki Actors Likened to Thirty-Six Flowers (Immortals of Poetry))

Odaka Tonomo, Nazo no ayame (Odaka Tonomo, Iris) is a sheet from Utagawa Kunisada's Tosei mitate sanju-rokkasen (Contemporary Kabuki Actors Likened to Thirty-Six Flowers / Immortals of Poetry), a mitate series in which contemporary Edo kabuki actors are likened to one of the classical thirty-six poetic immortals and assigned an emblematic flower. The role Odaka Tonomo belongs to the cycle of historical and pseudo-historical kabuki plays whose intrigues hinge on contested loyalties among samurai retainers; the iris (ayame) of the title, with its prefix nazo (riddle), supplies a poetic emblem suited to a character defined by mystery and concealed intent. Kunisada, the most prolific Edo ukiyo-e designer of yakusha-e in his generation, presents the figure in a half-length composition with sharply set features, patterned costume, and the strong outline that gives his actor portraits their immediacy. The flower cartouche and the title cartouche at top integrate the design into the series. Catalogued at the British Museum and made available through ukiyo-e.org, the print is part of the broader record of Kunisada's combination of theatre celebrity and literary allusion. Source: ukiyo-e.org / British Museum (https://ukiyo-e.org/image/bm/AN00431505_001_l).