On the Yoshida Highway
Sugimura Jihei
c. 1685
Medium
Hand-colored woodblock print; tan-e, vertical o-oban
Dimensions
59.1 × 29.3 cm (23 1/4 × 11 1/2 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
19052
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
An actor playing Miyako no O Kuni, the originator of Kabuki who flourished in Kyoto in the early 1600s, is seated in an open second-floor room with an attendant. Ukiyo-no-suke, walking below, holds an umbrella over Kanto Koroku. This is likely a scene from an early drama. Though the roles are identified, neither the name of the play nor the identity of the actors is given.