Actor Asao Tamejûrô I as Drunken Gotôbei in “Yoshitsune’s Koshigoe Petition” (“Yoshitsune Koshigoe jô”)
About 1790
Medium
Color woodblock print; hosoban
Dimensions
32.9 × 14.7 cm (12 7/8 × 5 3/4 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
32565
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of Edo-period Kabuki theater with this striking color woodblock print by Katsukawa Shun'ei, created around 1790. Titled *Actor Asao Tamejûrô I as Drunken Gotôbei inYoshitsune’s Koshigoe Petition” (“Yoshitsune Koshigoe jô”)*, it captures the celebrated actor in a dynamic role from a popular play about the legendary warrior Yoshitsune. Shun'ei, a master of the Katsukawa school, specialized in yakusha-e—portraits of Kabuki performers—that brought the stage's energy to everyday viewers. Printed in the narrow hosoban format (32.9 × 14.7 cm), this intimate size made it a...
About the Artist
Katsukawa Shun'ei · 1762–1819
Katsukawa Shun'ei (1762–1819) was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist who succeeded his master Katsukawa Shunshō as head of the Katsukawa school around 1800, continuing and advancing the school's innovations in kabuki actor portraiture. Born on December 13, 1762, into a landlord family with the surname Isoda, Shun'ei trained under Shunshō from his youth and became one of the most accomplished designers of y...