The Actor Akizuki Sampei from Osaka Standing on a Galloping Horse (right), in the Play Dai Kyokuba
c. 1772
Medium
Color woodblock print; aiban
Dimensions
21.8 × 28 cm (8 9/16 × 11 in.) (trimmed)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
30061
Art Historical Context
Step into the dynamic world of 18th-century Japanese theater with Katsukawa Shunsho's *The Actor Akizuki Sam from Osaka Standing on aoping Horse (right), the Play Dai Kyok*. Created around 1772, this color woodblock print exemplifies Shunsho's mastery of ukiyo-e, the "pictures of the floating world" that celebrated everyday pleasures like kabuki drama. As a leading artist of the Katsukawa school, Shunsho specialized in yakusha-e—expressive portraits of actors—that brought the stage's energy to ordinary viewers. The scene freezes a thrilling moment: Osaka's star actor Akizuki Sampei balances b...