Posted by Noel Chiappa (98.166.150.196) on December 21, 2010 at 23:21:41:
In Reply to: Could this be Kunisada! posted by Mikael on December 21, 2010 at 22:24:03:
"I need your help to identify this artist, and also if possible to now when it was printed"
This does seem to be signed 'Gototei Kunisada', which is a name he used from the early 1810s until the early 1840s, although it's most common from the late 1810s until the late 1820s (when he started also using the name Kōchōrō Kunisada, which was his most common signature in the 1830s). It's a bit difficult to be absolutely certain, as the image is not too good (and the print appears to be somewhat damaged as well), but that's what it seems to be.
The particular shape of the 'Go' character is one he started using in about 1818; the censor seal (again, the poor image means one can't be 100% sure) seems to read 'kiwame', and was in use until 1845. So probably sometime in the 1820s or 1830s?
Perhaps identification of the Kabuki role/play involved would help us date it? (I think I see the name Nakamura Shikan in the upper right corner, so it's pretty certain to be a Kabuki print.)
Noel