Scene From a Drama, Ichimura Kamezo as Hirano-ya Tokubei
ca. 1748
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
12 1/32 x 5 5/8 in. (30.6 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
Rogers Fund, 1918
Accession Number
JP231
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the lively world of Edo-period Japan (1615–1868) with this captivating woodblock print by Torii Kiyomasu I, a master of the Torii school renowned for yakusha-e, or actor portraits. Titled *Scene From a Drama, Ichimura Kamezo as Hirano-ya Tokubei* (ca. 1748), it depicts the famous kabuki actor Ichimura Kamezo in the role of Hirano-ya Tokubei, a merchant character from a popular theatrical narrative. During the Edo era, kabuki theater was a cultural phenomenon in urban centers like Edo (modern Tokyo), blending drama, music, and spectacle to entertain diverse audiences. Printed with in...
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...