Kunisada: Ningyo-cho, the Doll District, with Ichimura Uzaemon XII and Bunraku Puppets

Artist: Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1865)Title: Ha Brigade, First Group, Ningyô-chô: Actor Ichimura Uzaemon XII as the Hairdresser (Kamiyui) Saizaburô and Bunraku Puppet Scene Series: Edo no hana meisho-e (Flowers of Edo and Views of Famous Places)江戸の花名勝会   Date: 1863 Ha Brigade, First Group, Ningyô-chô: Actor Ichimura Uzaemon XII as the Hairdresser (Kamiyui) Saizaburô. Lower right we see the actor tying a cloth parcel across his shoulders as he looks nervously over his shoulder. To the left we see the top of a float that features a large samurai puppet, the design by Yoshitora. At top we see a Bunraku play being staged, with a female doll at left and a male doll at right. Two of the handlers wear the traditional black face covering and outfits. The top design is by Kiyokuni. Today there are still artisans at work in Ningyo-cho in Tokyo, or the doll-making district. This character at bottom may be from the play "Koi Musume Mukashi Hachijô", which was originally written for the puppet theate