The Actor Ichikawa Danjuro V in Formal Attire
c. 1779
Medium
Color woodblock print; hosoban
Dimensions
31.2 × 13.4 cm (12 5/16 × 5 1/4 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
13264
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of 18th-century Japan, Katsukawa Shunsho's *The Actor Ichikawa Danjuro V Formal Attire* (c. 1779) captures the charisma of kabuki theater's leading man. Shunsho, a master of the ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") school, specialized in yakusha-e—portraits of actors—that brought the stage's drama into everyday life. Here, Danjuro V, a legendary onnagata (female role specialist) from the Ichikawa lineage, poses in elegant formal robes, his expressive face and poised stance radiating star power amid Edo's bustling entertainment district. This color woodblock print in...