Description
Sanjo Kantaro II was a Kabuki actor who specialized in playing youths (wakashu) and female roles (onnagata). He is shown here in the role of Urashima Taro. He rescues a tortoise, and as a reward, the tortoise carries him to the undersea palace of the Dragon King. He believes he has spent but three days there with the Dragon King's daughter; however, when he returns to the shore, he finds 300 years have passed. The actor holds a fishing pole, indicating his occupation as a fisherman. The upper portion of the painting contains a 31-syllable waka poem.
Provenance
(Harry C. Nail [1909–1990], El Dorado, Arkansas, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) (?–1961); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1961–)
Accession Number
1961.41
Medium
hanging scroll; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
Painting only: 105.7 x 59.4 cm (41 5/8 x 23 3/8 in.); Including mounting: 189.2 x 64.7 cm (74 1/2 x 25 1/2 in.)
Classification
Painting
Credit Line
Dudley P. Allen Fund and various donors, by exchange