Background
Hakuen II was the temporary acting name of the Edo superstar Ichikawa Danjûrô VII (1791-1859), who performed briefly in Osaka after fires destroyed all three theaters in Edo in 3/1829. He returned to act in Kamagata in 3/1834 - 5/1834, then in 11/1843 - 3/1850, and once again in 1/1853 - 3/1858.
Design
Sadayoshi's woodcut portrays Hakuen during an excursion to Kamisaka (i.e., he is not performing a role in a kabuki play).
No other impression is recorded in the main literature, although one other impression was offered by a ukiyo-e dealer during the last few years. In any case, designs of actors away from the stage are decidedly uncommon in Osaka prints, and very popular among collectors, scholars, and museum curators.
Paraphrases of the two poems may be as follows:
(1) Gazing at the cherry blossoms, heartened by their beauty, the pure white moon illuminates my joy. (Ome mite no ureshisa ni kokorozasu tsuki byakuen.)
(2) Sleeping soundly without seeing the cherry blossoms, open your eyes to the winter peonies. (On hana naki o neni shite hirake fuyu botan.)
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