Konnichiwa Mina-san!
Corrections to the previous post and addition of new information.
I made a mistake in my previous post so I'll correct it.
"Ichian" is wrong. The correct answer is "Ichiza". Thanks for the correction, Majestic-san!
And "Mochidashi" is wrong. The correct answer is "Tokushutsu". "Tokushutu:特出" is abbreviation for "特別出演", and means "Special appearance".
I posted a link to "Kabuki Performance Database" last time, but I didn't have time to check the contents. I checked it and noticed the mistake, sorry.
About name characters' name "多兵衛". This kanji is written as "たへえ" in hiragana, and is "Tahee" in furigana, and is pronounced "Tahē".
"Tahei" is the modern furigana, but "Tahee" or "Tahē" is correct for the
Edo period furigana.
Same goes for "次郎兵衛". "Jirobee" or "Jirobē" is correct for the Edo period furigana.
Then, add new information from the database.
Although the content of the story is unknown, but the characters' names and scenes give insight into their settings.
The story is set in the Edo period. The story is divided into three scenes. The first scene is at 伊勢屋多兵衛's separate building. The 2nd scene is at 猪飼次郎兵衞's home. The 3rd scene is at Village Hisakata.
The main character is "猪飼 次郎兵衞". The comprimario is "伊勢屋 多兵衛".
"伊勢屋" is a family name and also represents the shop name. So we know that "伊勢屋 多兵衛" is a merchant. The first scene is in a separate building(house) of 伊勢屋's shop. The photo appears to show two people playing Go in this separate building.
The 2nd scene is at 猪飼's home, and is "猪飼浪宅" in Kanji. "猪飼" is his name, "宅" means home, and "浪" means "
浪人:Rōnin". "浪人" is a
Samurai without a master. In other words, "猪飼 次郎兵衞" is a Rōnin(Samurai).
"伊勢屋 多兵衛" has a wife and daughters, but "猪飼 次郎兵衞" appears to be single.
There is no information about the third scene other than that it is a village.
The people in the photo are thought to be "猪飼 次郎兵衞" and "伊勢屋 多兵衛". On the back of the photo, the names "伊勢屋 多兵衛" and "猪飼 次郎兵衞" are written on the right and left, respectively. If we believe this, the right side of the photo is "伊勢屋 多兵衛" and the left side is "猪飼 次郎兵衞".
"猪飼 次郎兵衞" is dressed in formal attire. On the other hand, Person "伊勢屋 多兵衛" is wearing casual clothes. When meeting superiors, samurai wear formal attire.
A large cylindrical ceramic vessel is placed at the back of the Go table. This is a heating appliance "火鉢:Hibachi". "火鉢" is located slightly to the right. This indicates that the person on the right(伊勢屋 多兵衛) is a superior.
From the above, "猪飼 次郎兵衞" may be an unwelcome guest to "伊勢屋 多兵衛".
However, the speculations about the photos are purely personal opinions. I don't know if my opinion is correct.
NANGI