Ichikawa Danjuro VI as Funa Bansaku,son of Fuwa Banzayemon
1794–95
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
12 3/4 x 5 31/32 in. (32.4 x 15.2 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund and Rogers Fund, 1949
Accession Number
JP3120
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of Edo-period Japan with Tōshūsai Sharaku's *Ichikawa Danjūrō VI as Funa Bansaku Son of Fuwa Banzayemon* (1794–95), a masterful woodblock print the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Asian Art collection. Created during the height of kabuki theater's popularity, this *yakusha-e* (actor portrait) captures the famed performer Ichikawa Danjūr VI in the role of Funa Bansaku, a character wielding a sword in a dramatic pose. Kabuki stars like Danjūrō were celebrities of their time, and prints like this served as affordable souvenirs, much like modern posters, bringing theater g...
About the Artist
Tōshūsai Sharaku · 1794–1795
Tōshūsai Sharaku stands as one of the most enigmatic figures in Japanese art history, a ukiyo-e printmaker whose brilliant career blazed for just ten months from the summer of 1794 to early spring 1795. Active exclusively in Edo (modern Tokyo), he produced approximately 150 woodblock prints and sketches, primarily yakusha-e—intimate portraits of kabuki actors captured mid-performance. Published by...