The Actor Ichikawa Danjuro II as a Samuri.
ca. 1735
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper (Urushi-e)
Dimensions
Overall: 12 1/4 x 5 7/8in. (31.1 x 14.9cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Estate of Samuel Isham, 1914
Accession Number
JP822
Tags
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). P...
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...