ca. 1730
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
12 1/8 x 5 3/4 in. (30.8 x 14.6 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Francis Lathrop Collection, Purchase, Frederick C. Hewitt Fund, 1911
Accession Number
JP688
Tags
Art Historical Context
This vibrant woodblock print by Torii Kiyomasu, created around 1730 during Japan's Edo period (1615–1868), captures dynamic world of kabuki theater. Kiyomasu I, a key figure in the Torii school—one of the earliest ukiyo ("pictures of the floating world") workshops—specialized in yakusha-e, or actor prints. These affordable color prints on paper brought the glamour of stage performers to everyday viewers, revolutionizing access to art through woodblock techniques that allowed for mass production. Depicting male actors in samurai roles, complete with swords and drums, the work highlights the th...
About the Artist
Torii Kiyomasu I
Torii Kiyomasu I was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist working in the early eighteenth century, closely associated with the Torii school, one of the most important lineages in the history of Japanese woodblock printmaking. The Torii school was founded by Torii Kiyonobu, and Kiyomasu I is believed to have been either his son or a close pupil — the precise family relationship remains a matter of scholarly d...