Memorial portrait of the actor Ichimura Takenojo V
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
36 × 23.8 cm (14 3/16 × 9 5/16 in.)
Classification
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
23913
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of 19th-century Japanese uyo-e prints, Utagawa Kuniyoshi's *Memorial Portrait of the Actor Ichimura Takenojo V* (1851) stands as a poignant tribute to a celebrated kabuki star. Kuniyoshi, a master of the ukiyo-e known for his dynamic warrior scenes and imaginative compositions, captured the actor in a dramatic pose, likely evoking his onstage persona. This oban-sized color woodblock print, measuring 36 × 23.8 cm, exemplifies the genre of yakusha-e (actor prints), which idolized performers as cultural icons during Japan's Edo period. Kabuki theater was a spectacle of the f...
About the Artist
Utagawa Kuniyoshi · 1797–1861
Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797–1861) was born in Edo to the silk-dyer Yanagiya Kichiyemon, originally bearing the childhood name Yoshisaburō. From a young age, he assisted in his family's pattern design work, which sharpened his innate mastery of color and textile motifs that would permeate his later prints. At around twelve years old, his prodigious drawing skills drew the attention of the renowned Utag...