『役者相貌鏡』|Mirror Images of Kabuki Actors (Yakusha awase kagami) 俳優相貎鏡
Medium
Set of two woodblock printed books; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
each: 10 7/16 × 7 1/16 in. (26.5 × 18 cm)
Classification
Illustrated Books
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Mary and James G. Wallach Family Foundation Gift, in honor of John T. Carpenter, 2013
Accession Number
2013.850a, b
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of Edo-period Japan with *Mirror Images of Kabuki Actors (Yakusha awase kagami)*, a set of two woodblock books created by Utagawa Toyokuni in 1804. Toyokuni, a leading figure in the ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") tradition, specialized in yakusha-e—striking portraits of Kabuki theater stars. These compact volumes, each measuring about 10½ by 7 inches, with ink and color on paper, showcasing the actors' dramatic poses, elaborate costumes, and expressive faces. During the Edo period (1615–1868), Kabuki was Japan's premier entertainment, blending music, da...