Kabuki Actor Sawamura Sōjūrō III, from the series Portraits of Kabuki Actors on Stage (Yakusha butai no sugata-e)
ca. 1794
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
15 3/8 x 10 1/8 in. (39.1 x 25.7cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Fletcher Fund, 1929
Accession Number
JP1531
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the dramatic world of Edo-period Japan with this striking woodblock print by Utagawa Toyokuni, titled *Kabuki Actor Sawamura Sōjūrō III* from his series *Portraits of Kabuki Actors on Stage (Yakusha butai no sugata-e)*, created around 1794. During vibrant Edo period (161–1868), Kab theater was a cultural phenomenon, blending music, dance, and elaborate costumes to captivate audiences in bustling urban centers like Edo (modern Tokyo). Toyokuni, a master of the ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") tradition, specialized in yakusha-e—actor portraits that celebrated these larger-th...
About the Artist
Utagawa Toyokuni I · 1777–1835
Japanese, 1777–1835