The Actor Ichikawa Danjuro II as Soga no Goro and Nakamura Takesaburo I as Kewaizaka no Shosho in the play "Bando Ichi Kotobuki Soga," performed at the Nakamura Theater in the first month, 1715
1715
Medium
Hand-colored woodblock print; hosoban, tan-e
Dimensions
30.3 × 15.6 cm (11 15/16 × 6 3/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
8935
Art Historical Context
This vibrant hand-colored woodblock print by Torii Kiyonobu captures a thrilling moment from the 1715 Kabuki production *Bando Ichi Kotobuki Soga* at the Nakamura Theater in Edo (modern Tokyo). It features kabuki stars Ichikawa Danjūrō II as the fierce warrior Soga no Gorō and Nakamura Takesaburō I as Kewaizaka no Shōshō, frozen in dramatic poses that highlight their expressive faces and flowing costumes. Produced in the narrow *hosoban* format ( 30 x 15 cm), this *tan-e* print—characterized by its subtle, earthy tones before the advent of full-color *benizuri-e*—was designed for affordable di...
About the Artist
Torii Kiyonobu I · 1664–1729
Torii Kiyonobu I (1664–1729), born Shōbei in Osaka, was the second son of Torii Kiyomoto, a prominent kabuki actor specializing in onnagata roles and a painter of theater signboards. He studied painting under his father as well as Yoshida Hanbei and Hishikawa Moronobu, the pioneering ukiyo-e master whose figure styles profoundly shaped his early work. In 1687, at age twenty-four, Kiyonobu accompan...