Segawa Kikunojō II as a Woman Standing
1757
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
15 x 7 in. (38.1 x 17.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund and Rogers Fund, 1949
Accession Number
JP3092
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the bustling theater districts of Edo-period Japan (1615–1868), Torii Kiyoh captured the allure of kabuki stardom in his 1757 woodblock printSegawa Kikunojō II as a Woman Standing This intimate ukiyo-e work—measuring just 15 x 7 inches—portrays the celebrated actor Segawa Kikunojō II in his signature onnagata role, gracefully impersonating a woman. Rendered in vibrant ink and color on paper, it exemplifies the Torii school's mastery of yakusha-e (actor prints), which turned performers into cultural icons akin to modern celebrities. Kiyohiro, a key figure in the Torii lineage of printmakers...
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...