The actor Ichikawa Danjuro VII as I no Hayata

Designed by Utagawa Toyokuni in 1817 as the left-hand sheet of a [triptych](/glossary/triptych) on the legend of Minamoto no Yorimasa, this print shows Ichikawa Danjuro VII as I no Hayata, the loyal retainer who finished off the monstrous nue after Yorimasa's bow had brought it down. The combination of Danjuro VII's celebrity, the heroic role, and Toyokuni's mature [yakusha-e](/glossary/yakusha-e) style produces a print that is simultaneously a star portrait and a moment of narrative theater. The triptych as a whole celebrates one of the kabuki stage's most enduring legends, and the I no Hayata panel functions as both the dramatic conclusion of that narrative and an independent display of the actor's stagecraft.