The Actor Ichikawa Danjuro II as a Samuri.

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of Edo-period Japan with *The Actor Ichikawa Danjūrō II as a Samurai by Torii Kiyomas I, created around 1735. This wood print captures the famed kabuki actor in a dynamic pose, sword at the ready, embodying the fierce spirit of a samurai warrior. Kiyomasu I, a master of the Torii school, specialized in yakusha-e—actor portraits that celebrated the stars of Japan's booming theater scene, turning performers into cultural icons. During the Edo period (1615–1868), a time of relative peace and urban prosperity, kabuki theater thrived in cities like Edo (modern Tokyo). Prints like this one fueled a craze for celebrity culture, allowing fans to own affordable images of their favorites. Ichikawa Danjūrō II, a legendary aragoto (rough stuff) specialist, was known for his bold, exaggerated portrayals of heroic figures, making him a perfect subject for this intense depiction. The urushi-e technique—using lacquer-based inks and colors on paper—gives the print its glossy, jewel-like vibrancy, an early innovation in ukiyo-e woodblock printing that preceded full-color nishiki-e. At just 12¼ x 5⅞ inches, this intimate work from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Asian Art collection highlights how art democratized fame and fantasy in 18th-century Japan.

About the Artist

Torii Kiyomasu I · 1696–1716

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...