市川鰕蔵の竹村定之進|Kabuki Actor Ichikawa Ebizō (Ichikawa Danjūrō V) in the play The Colored Reins of a Loving Wife (Koi nyōbō somewake tazuna)
5th month, 1794
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper with mica ground
Dimensions
14 15/32 x 9 3/5 in. (36.8 x 24.4 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
JP3114
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold the striking woodblock print *Kabuki Actor Ichikawa Ebizō (Ichikawa Danjūrō V) as Takemura Sadayūshin in The Colored Reins of a Loving Wife (Koi nyōbō somewake tazuna)*, created by the enigmatic Tōshūsai Sharaku in the 5th month of 1794. This Edo-period masterpiece (1615–1868) captures the superstar actor Ichikawa Danjūrō V, one of Kabuki's most revered talents, in a dynamic role from a popular drama. Measuring about 14¾ x 9⅝ inches, it's a fine example of *yakusha-e*—actor portraits that idolized theater luminaries as cultural icons. Sharaku, active for just a mysterious 10 months, re...
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...