Arashi Rikan II as Danshichi Kurōbei in "Mirror of Naniwa: The Summer Festival"

Curatorial Overview

“This print shows Arashi Rikan II (1788–1837) acting in a Kabuki play put on at the Chikugoza Theater in Osaka in 1832. Rikan’s character, Danshichi Kurōbei, was among the otokodate roles, or men who stood up for those without much power in society. Mirror of Naniwa: The Summer Festival remains popular today and has the most well-known Kabuki murder scene, in which Danshichi kills his devious father-in-law, Mikawaya Giheiji. Rikan strikes multiple dramatic poses, called mie, during the episode, which features real mud on the stage.”