The Actor Ichikawa Danjuro V as Kudo Kanaishi in the Play Izu-goyomi Shibai no Ganjitsu, Performed at the Morita Theater in the Eleventh Month, 1772
c. 1772
Medium
Color woodblock print; hosoban; center sheet of triptych
Dimensions
31.8 × 15 cm (12 1/2 × 5 7/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
21901
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 18th-century Japanese kab theater with this striking color woodblock print by Katsukawa Shunsho, leading master of the ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") school. Created around 1772, it portrays the renowned actor Ichikawa Danjuro V in role of Kudo Kishi from the play *Izu-goyomi Shibai no Ganjitsu*, performed at the prestigious Morita Theater in Edo (modern-day Tokyo) during the eleventh month. As the center sheet of a triptych in the narrow hosoban format—measuring just 31.8 × 15 cm—this intimate print would have been part of a larger panoramic scene, c...