Memorial Portrait of the Actor Iwai Hanshiro VI
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
35.6 × 24.6 cm (14 × 9 11/16 in.)
Classification
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
23779
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century Japanese theater Utagawa Kunis I's *Memorial Portrait the Actor Iwai Hansiro VI* (1836). A master of the uki-e tradition—meaning " of the floating world"—Kunada (also known as Toyokuni) was one of Edo Japan's most prolific printmakers This color woodblock print in the popular oban (35.6 ×24.6 cm), captures the of kabuki stardom, honoring the beloved onnagata actor Iwai Hanshiro VI, renowned for his graceful female roles. Created during the late Edo period, when woodblock prints democratized art for everyday viewers, this memorial piece reflects the ...
About the Artist
Utagawa Kunisada I (Toyokuni III) · 1786–1864
Utagawa Kunisada I, also known as Toyokuni III (1786–1865), was born Sumida Shōgorō in the Honjo district of Edo (modern Tokyo) into a family that operated a hereditary ferry-boat service, providing stability after his father's early death. Displaying prodigious talent in drawing from childhood, he became an apprentice to the master Utagawa Toyokuni I around 1801 at age fifteen, entering the prest...