The Lovers Umegawa and Chubei Making Their Escape in the Night Rain under an Umbrella , ca. 1798-90

Kitagawa Utamaro (1753?-1806) The Lovers Umegawa and Chubei Making Their Escape in the Night Rain under an Umbrella, ca. 1798-90 Woodcut of the courtesan Umegawa and Chubei, employee of a money courier, eloping on a rainy night for his native village of Ninokuchi in Yamato province, where Chubei will be found out for stealing a packet of cash he was to deliver and the lovers will meet their end, an illustration of the scene in puppet and kabuki plays based on Meido no hikyaku (Hell's courier, 1711) by Chikamatsu Monzaemon (1653-1725), signed Utamaro hitsu and published by Muratoya Jirobei--very good impression, good color though revamped, stained and soiled along right and top edges, some creasing hashira-e: 25 5/8 x 5¾in. (65.1 x 14.5cm.)