Dancer Standing Beside a Drum

This Kaei-era color woodblock print ([nishiki-e](/glossary/nishiki-e)), dated 1848-1852 and held by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco at the Legion of Honor (accession number 54755.643), depicts a dancer standing beside a drum, a stock scene from Nō or Kagura performance that Utagawa Yoshiume treated in the small chūban format characteristic of Osaka kamigata-e. The figure of a costumed dancer paired with a large ceremonial drum is a recurring motif in Japanese theatrical iconography, appearing in Nō, Kagura, and bugaku traditions in which percussive accompaniment frames the dance. Yoshiume's print measures approximately 24.3 by 17.6 cm, the standard kamigata chūban size, and belongs to a group of related Kaei-era sheets by the artist in the Legion of Honor's collection. The group as a whole comprises a sustained Osaka-style sequence on Nō, Kagura, and related classical subjects, treated in the meticulous decorative manner of mature kamigata-e. The print is part of the museum's collection of Japanese woodblock prints.