勝川春英画 二代目市川門之助|Kabuki Actor Ichikawa Monnosuke II
ca. 1793
Medium
Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
Dimensions
12 3/4 x 5 3/4 in. (32.4 x 14.6 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
JP329
Tags
Art Historical Context
This vibrant woodblock print by Katsukawa Shun'ei a master of the ukiyo-e tradition, captures the second-generation Kabuki actor Ichikawa Monnosuke II around 1793. Titled *Kabuki Actor Ichikawa Monnosuke II*, it exemplifies the yakusha-e genre—portraits of theater stars that turned performers into cultural icons during Japan's Edo period (1615–1868). Shun'ei, from the renowned Katsukawa school, was celebrated for his dynamic depictions of actors in dramatic poses, blending realism with expressive flair to convey their larger-than-life personas on stage. The medium, a nishiki-e or "brocade pic...
About the Artist
Katsukawa Shun'ei · 1762–1819
Katsukawa Shun'ei (1762–1819) was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist who succeeded his master Katsukawa Shunshō as head of the Katsukawa school around 1800, continuing and advancing the school's innovations in kabuki actor portraiture. Born on December 13, 1762, into a landlord family with the surname Isoda, Shun'ei trained under Shunshō from his youth and became one of the most accomplished designers of y...