勝川春好画 二代目市川門之助|Ichikawa Monnosuke II in a Shibaraku Performance
1780 (An’ei 9)
Medium
Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
Dimensions
Vertical aiban; Image: 12 11/16 × 8 3/4 in. (32.2 × 22.2 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Fletcher Fund, 1925
Accession Number
JP1479
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the dramatic world of Edo-period kabuki theater with this striking woodblock print by Kats Shunkō (1743–1812), a master of ukiyo-e—the "pictures of the floating world" that captured Japan's popular culture. Titled *Ichikawa Monnosuke II in Shibaraku Performance* (1780), it the famed actor in the bold Shibaraku role, a villainous character known for his thunderous entrance that disrupts the stage with exaggerated makeup, vibrant costumes, and a commanding presence. Shunkō, a leading figure in the Katsukawa school, excelled at yakusha-e (actor prints), vividly freezing these theatrical...
About the Artist
Katsukawa Shunkō
Katsukawa Shunkō I (1743–1812) was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist who pioneered the ōkubi-e (large-head) portrait format in kabuki actor prints and served as possibly the first student of Katsukawa Shunshō, the founder of the influential Katsukawa school. Born in 1743, Shunkō spent his entire life in Edo (modern Tokyo), working as both a painter and ukiyo-e printmaker specializing in yakusha-e (actor p...