Kabuki Actor Holding Wooden Plaque, Taishô period, circa 1920-1922

Dating to the early 1920s, this oban woodblock print shows an unidentified kabuki actor gripping a wooden plaque, possibly an ema (votive tablet) or a character-identifying prop. Wooden plaques appear in several kabuki scenarios, from temple scenes where characters make vows to confrontation scenes where written challenges are exchanged. Toyonari isolates the actor against a plain ground, directing attention to the hands clasping the plaque and the intensity of the facial expression. The composition is typical of his Taisho-period actor prints in its tight framing and avoidance of stage scenery. Without a specific actor or role identification, the print stands as an example of Toyonari's ability to convey dramatic tension through posture and props alone, making the plaque a focal point around which the character's emotion radiates.