初代歌川豊國 「加古川本蔵 役者舞台之姿繪 高麗屋 (松本幸四郎 IV)

The Kabuki character Kakogawa Honzō was a samurai who prevented his lord from killing the story’s antagonist, Moronao. Because the incident occurred at the palace of the shogunate, where drawing one’s sword was prohibited, the lord was sentenced to die by suicide, and his entire clan was punitively disbanded. Facing hostility from the former members for having saved Moronao from injury, Kakogawa became an itinerant monk. In this woodblock print, the artist Utagawa Toyokuni I captures the character’s difficult emotions, with his frown, furrowed brows, and curled fingers. In contrast with his otherwise subdued attire, the bright red sash bears coiled dragons, which may symbolize the integrity of Kakogawa’s act.