Utagawa Toyokuni I (Japan, 1769-1825) Print, oban tate-e, Furyū onna shikisanban (風流女式三番), Fashionable Female Version of the Shikisanban. Signed Toyokuni ga, publisher Enomotoya Kichibei (Hōeidō). Circa 1788-1789. (Minor restorations). Size 38,7 x 24,6 cm This plate depicts three women (or actors?) in the roles of those who usually perform the Shiki Sanban, a ritual dance generally known as Okina ("Old Man"). The dance is performed before the start of a formal Nō performance; it is a dance with no narrative content, reserved for special occasions such as New Year's festivities, prayers for the nation's prosperity and purification ceremonies at Shinto shrine sites. The person in the centre can be identified as Okina, because he or she is wearing a different kimono from the others. This protagonist can usually be identified by the mask worn by an old man. His kimono is decorated with a turtle shell motif and his fan with pine trees, both symbols of longevity. The two seated dancers wear kimonos decorated with cranes and turtles. These two dancers are called Senzai (A Thousand Years Old) and Sanbasō. Reference: A similar print held at the Art Institute, Chicago, reference no. 1929.753.