Yoshitsune and a Thousand Cherry Trees

This triptych is a continuous narrative of scenes from the classic play Yoshitsune and a Thousand Cherry Trees. While most scenes are labeled to clarify their sequence, the view of the sea battle at Dannoura, which sets up this fictionalized account of the Gempei War (1180–85), is shown at the very top of the middle sheet without any marking. Toyokuni cleverly uses architectural details like walls and gates to separate interior and exterior scenes. Although the names of the actors and the roles depicted are not included on the print, many of the actors appear more than once and are identifiable by their appearance. They include many of the most celebrated actors of the day such as Iwai Hanshiro V and Matsumoto Koshiro V. Most prints document a specific performance, but this composition is unusual because there is no record of a performance including all these actors. Instead, this intricate design may represent a fictional staging of a major kabuki drama wishfully cast with the day’s most prominent performers.