Actor Ichikawa Danjûrô V as Sukeroku in “The Seven Guises of Soga” (“Nanakusa Yosooi Soga”)
Medium
Color woodblock print; hosoban (center sheet of a triptych)
Dimensions
32.5 × 15.1 cm (12 3/4 × 5 7/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
36537
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 18th-century Edo (modern Tokyo) with this striking woodblock print by Katsukawa Shunkō, a leading master of ukiyo-e—the "pictures of the floating world" that captured Japan's popular culture. Created in 1782, it portrays the renowned kabuki actor Ichikawa Danjûrô V in the guise of Sukeroku from the play *Nanakusa Yosooi Soga* ("The Seven Guises of Soga"). As the narrow hosoban center sheet of a triptych (measuring just 32.5 × 15.1 cm), it invites viewers to imagine the full dramatic scene unfolding across three panels, a common format for immersive storytelling. ...
About the Artist
Katsukawa Shunkо̄ · 1743–1812
Katsukawa Shunkō I (1743–1812), born Denjiro Kiyokawa in Edo (modern Tokyo), emerged as a pivotal figure in ukiyo-e woodblock printing. His early life remains sparsely documented, but by the late 1760s, he had begun illustrating books such as *Talks about Debut Plays* (*Kaomise shibai banashi*, 1766). Shunkō studied under the master Katsukawa Shunshō, founder and leader of the Katsukawa school, an...