Collections Online

Watonai is the main character in the play 'The Battles of Coxinga' (Kokusenya Kassen) written in 1715 by Chikamatsu Monzaemon (1653-1724), Japan's premier dramatist for the puppet and kabuki theatres. The complex plot centres on the young fisherman Watonai (Coxinga's early name) who travels to China and raises an army with the aim of restoring the Ming rulers to the throne. The play's most famous moment occurs when Watonai is standing on a bridge waiting for a signal indicating whether it is safe to enter a nearby castle. The signal arrives that it is not safe, and out of frustration he raises his straw hat and contorts his face into a powerful grimace. Kunisada has represented preciselythis moment. The bold design of Watonai's outer robe suggests a larger-than-life fishing net; it is the standard design for the costume even today. The exceptionally fine quality of the printing is evident in the rich blue tone of the background, and the definition of the internal strands in the net design.