Ichikawa Monosuke III in the Role of the Otokodate Sukeroku
ca. 1786
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
12 3/8 x 5 5/8 in. (31.4 x 14.3 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Howard Mansfield Collection, Purchase, Rogers Fund, 1936
Accession Number
JP2674
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of Edo-period Japan with Katsukawa Shunkō'sblock print *Ichikawa Monosuke in the Role of theokodate Sukeroku (ca. 1786). This striking yakusha-e, or actor portrait, captures the famed kabuki performer in the guise of Sukeroku, a swaggering otokodate—a chivalrous street gallant known for his bravado and charm. Shunkō, a leading ukiyo-e artist of the Katsukawa school, masterfully renders Monosuke with dynamic pose, bold costume details, and an iconic umbrella, evoking the theatrical energy of kabuki stages in 18th-century Tokyo. Printed in ink and color on paper, thi...
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...