Actors Representing the Feat of Asahina Breaking the Armer of Soga no Goro (Hirakawa-cho Yamamoto-cho kusazuribiki odori yatai) from the series The Festival of the Sanno Shrine (Sanno go-sairei)
1780
Medium
Color woodblock print; chuban
Dimensions
26.3 × 19.4 cm (10 3/8 × 7 11/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
36278
Art Historical Context
Torii Kiyonaga (1752–1815), a leading figure in Japan's ukiyo-e tradition during the late Edo period, masterfully captured the vibrancy of urban life in this 1780 color woodblock print. Titled *Actors Representing the Feat Asahina Breaking the of Soga no Goro (Hirakawa-cho Yamamoto kusazuribiki odori yatai)*, it forms part of his series *The Festival of the Sanno Shrine (Sanno go-sairei)*, documenting the grand 1776 celebrations at Tokyo's (then Edo's) Sanno Shrine—a major Shinto event blending religious ritual, parades, and theatrical performances that drew massive crowds. The scene depicts ...
About the Artist
Torii Kiyonaga · 1752–1815
Torii Kiyonaga, born Sekiguchi Shinsuke in 1752 in Uraga, Sagami Province, was the son of an Edo bookseller who owned tenements near a bustling fish market. At age 14 in 1765, he began his apprenticeship under Torii Kiyomitsu, the third-generation head of the prestigious Torii school of ukiyo-e, renowned for kabuki theater illustrations and signage. Adopted into the Torii family, Kiyonaga succeede...