A Poster for the Ichimura Theatre (Ichimuraza tsuji banzuke)
c. 1715
Medium
Hand-colored woodblock print; o-oban, sumizuri-e
Dimensions
49 × 30.5 cm (19 5/16 × 12 1/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
89750
Art Historical Context
Step into the bustling streets of early 18th-century Edo with *A Poster for the Ichimura Theatre (Ichimuraza tsuji banzuke)* by Torii Kiyomasu II, created around 1715. This hand-colored woodblock print, in the striking o-oban format (49 × 30.5 cm), served as a lively street advertisement—or *tsuji banzuke*—for kabuki performances at the renowned Ichimura Theatre. Produced by the Torii school, masters of ukiyo-e (pictures of the floating world), it captures the theatrical energy of Japan's vibrant entertainment scene during the Genroku era. The print exemplifies *sumizuri-e*, a technique using...
About the Artist
Torii Kiyomasu II · 1706–1763
At one point this artist was incorrectly identified as Kiyonobu II.