Sadakurô at Oi - Utagawa Kuniyoshi
Archival giclée
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Description
A dramatic woodblock print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi depicting the Kabuki character Sadakurô at the Oi station, rendered with atmospheric rain effects.
This woodblock print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi depicts the character Sadakurô, a notorious villain from the classic Kabuki play Kanadehon Chûshingura. The scene is set at the Oi station along the Kisokaidô road, a route connecting Edo and Kyoto. Kuniyoshi captures the figure in a moment of tension, sheltering under a large umbrella amidst a downpour. The rain is rendered through vertical lines that cut across the composition, creating a sense of atmosphere and movement.
Kuniyoshi was a master of the Utagawa school, known for his imaginative compositions and technical skill in the ukiyo-e tradition. This print belongs to the series Sixty-nine Stations of the Kisokaidô Road, a collaborative project involving several prominent artists of the period. The inclusion of a cartouche in the upper left corner provides a secondary view of the station, a common device in Japanese printmaking to provide geographical context or narrative depth. The figure of Sadakurô is presented with dramatic flair, his posture and expression reflecting the theatrical nature of the source material. The colour palette relies on deep blacks, muted earth tones, and sharp contrasts to define the form against the rainy backdrop. The print demonstrates the precision of the woodblock medium, with clear outlines and controlled application of pigment. As a piece of nineteenth-century Japanese art, it offers a glimpse into the intersection of popular theatre and travel culture, where the dramatic narratives of the stage were frequently adapted for a wider audience through the medium of the printed page.
Return policy
Because every print is made to order, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, refunds or exchanges. If your order arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, we'll replace it free of charge — just contact us within 48 hours of delivery. See our refunds page for full details.
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We ship worldwide, printing at the production hub nearest to your delivery address. Delivery times and costs vary by destination — you'll see the options available to you at checkout.
Manufacturing
Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
Care and materials
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
Sadakurô at Oi - Utagawa Kuniyoshi
Artist Biography
Utagawa Kuniyoshi
For the first thirteen years he struggled. The breakthrough came in 1827 with a commission to illustrate the 108 Heroes of the Suikoden, a Chinese adventure novel. He drew tattooed warriors in dynamic poses that broke out of the frame, the tattoos rendered with a detail that started a fashion in Edo. The series was enormously popular and established him as the leading designer of warrior prints.
He loved cats. His studio was always full of them, and he often worked with a kitten tucked inside his kimono. When a cat died, he sent it to a nearby temple, and he kept a Buddhist altar for his deceased cats at home. Cats appear constantly in his prints: as substitute actors in kabuki scenes, as letter-forms in playful alphabets, as parodies of famous paintings. Government censorship in the 1840s prohibited the depiction of actors and courtesans by name, so Kuniyoshi gave them cat faces, which was technically legal and funnier.
His range was unusual for an ukiyo-e artist. Warriors, landscapes, beautiful women, ghosts, satirical cartoons, cats. He was equally comfortable with the heroic and the absurd, sometimes on the same sheet. His triptych of the giant skeleton spectre, from the tale of Takiyasha the Witch, is one of the most reproduced images in Japanese art.
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