Sanogawa Ichimatsu in the Role of Otsuru
ca. 1754
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
Overall: 11 7/8 x 5 5/8 in. (30.2 x 14.3 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Howard Mansfield Collection, Purchase, Rogers Fund, 1936
Accession Number
JP2587
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of Edo-period Japan with Torii Kiyohiro's woodblock print *Sanogawa Ichim in the Role of Ots* (ca. 1754). This exquisite ukiyo-e print captures the famous kabuki actor Sanog Ichimatsu mid-performance as the character Otsuru, embodying the theatrical flair of 18th-century Tokyo. Rendered in ink and color on paper measuring a compact 11 7/8 x 5 5/8 inches, it showcases Kiyohiro's mastery within the Torii school tradition, renowned for dynamic yakusha-e (actor portraits) that brought the stage to the masses. Woodblock printing revolutionized accessible art during the ...
About the Artist
Torii Kiyohiro · 1737–1776
Torii Kiyohiro (active 1737–1776) was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist and a member of the celebrated Torii school, one of the oldest and most distinguished lineages in the history of Japanese woodblock printing. The Torii school had been founded in the late seventeenth century and built its reputation on the creation of billboards and illustrated programs for the Kabuki theater in Edo, and Kiyohiro carr...