This is a photograph of the popular meiji period kabuki actor ichimura uzaemon xv taken at the kabukiza in 1930 in tokyo. He is dressed as togashi, the aristocrat in charge of the road barrier in the play kanjincho, or the subscription list. During the 1930s uzaemon played opposite another popular meiji period kabuki actor matsumoto koshiro vii who played musashibo benkei, the warrior monk and retainer of minamoto yoshitsune. Also in the picture is ito shinsui and possibly hasui kawase, both artists who were part of the revival at the time of the ukiyo-e woodblock print. They are surrounded by other dignitaries both japanese and western. The western woman may possibly be an actress. It was around this time that kabuki as an art form was being popularized in the west and shortly before charlie chaplin visited japan in 1932 and saw the kabuki at minamiza in kyoto and kabukiza in tokyo where he met nakamura kichiemon i. Chaplin was and is still, extremely popular in japan and his film 'city lights' was adapted to kabuki being called komori no yasusan, or batman yasu. In the photograph are itō shinsui 伊東深水 (4 february 1898–8 may 1972) ukiyo-e woodblock printer and nihonga artist. Born itō hajime 伊東一 looking over uzaemon's shoulder and hasui kawase 川瀬 巴水 (1883-1957) painter of shin hanga 新版画 (new prints) style of revived woodblock printing rear and between the two women. Date: 1930.
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