The Actor, 3rd Sawamura Sojuro Holding an Open Fan
ca. 1779
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
H. 11 15/16 (30.3 cm); W. 5 3/8 in. (13.7 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1922
Accession Number
JP1304
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of Edo-period Japan with *The Actor, 3rd Sawamura Sojuro Holding Open Fan* by Katsukawa Shunk, created around 1779. This woodblock print captures the kabuki actor Sawamura Sōjūrō III in a dynamic pose gracefully wielding an open fan—a signature prop symbolizing poise and expression in theater. Shunkō, a leading figure in the Katsukawa school of ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world"), specialized in yakusha-e, or actor portraits, that brought the drama of kabuki stages to everyday viewers. Printed in ink and color on paper in the narrow hosoban format (about 11 ...
About the Artist
Katsukawa Shunkō
Katsukawa Shunkō I (1743–1812) was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist who pioneered the ōkubi-e (large-head) portrait format in kabuki actor prints and served as possibly the first student of Katsukawa Shunshō, the founder of the influential Katsukawa school. Born in 1743, Shunkō spent his entire life in Edo (modern Tokyo), working as both a painter and ukiyo-e printmaker specializing in yakusha-e (actor p...