Sakata Sajūrō I as a Samurai’s Manservant
Ippitsusai Buncho
c.1770
Medium
Color woodblock print; hosoban
Dimensions
31.2 × 13.9 cm (12 5/16 × 5 1/2 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
89257
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
The black sky in this image is a perfect backdrop for the weather. Here the driving rain pours down on a manservant who has just sliced in half the lantern hanging from the pine tree above him. As with many prints depicting Kabuki actors, we cannot identify the character or the play he comes from.