Ichimura Kamezo in the Role of Kanto Koroku
ca. 1760?
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
12 1/4 x 5 7/16 in. (31.1 x 13.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1918
Accession Number
JP468
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of Edo-period Japan with *Ichimura Kamezo in the Role of Kamezo*, a stunning woodblock print by Tor Kiyomitsu, created around 1760. This intimate yakusha-e (actor print) captures the kabuki performer Ichimura Kamezo the character Kanto Koroku, in a dramatic pose that conveys the theatrical energy of the stage. Measuring just 12¼ x 5⅞ inches, its narrow format mimics the hosoban style, perfect for affordable display in urban homes. Kiyomitsu, a leading figure in the Torii school of ukiyo-e—"pictures of the floating world"—excelled in these bold, colorful depictions ...
About the Artist
Torii Kiyomitsu · 1735–1785
Torii Kiyomitsu (1735–1785) was a leading master of the Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock print tradition and a key figure in the third generation of the celebrated Torii school. Born into an artistic dynasty founded by his ancestor Torii Kiyonobu, Kiyomitsu trained within the family workshop and inherited its deep connections to the Kabuki theater world, for which the Torii school had long designed prom...