'The Kabuki Actor Ichikawa Omezô I in the Drama "Shibaraku"'
Utagawa Toyokuni (1769-1825)
Nishiki-e (brocade print)
Signature: Toyokuni ga
Museum no. E.4829-1886
© Victoria and Albert Museum, London
This is most likely a depiction of a production performed at the Morita-za Theatre in November 1810. In the Meiji period (1868-1912), the script of the play 'Shibaraku' (Wait!) became fixed and the name of the main character was designated as Kamakura no Gongorô Kamemasa. Originally, however, the plot and the characters were created afresh each time it was performed.