The Actor Ichikawa Danjuro V, Probably as Ise no Saburo Disguised as Sanjo Uemon, Leader of a Robber Gang, in Part Two of the Play Fude-hajime Kanjincho (First Calligraphy of the New Year: Kanjincho [The Subscription List]), Performed at the Nakamura Theater from the Fifteenth Day of the First Month, 1784

Q: When was "The Actor Ichikawa Danjuro V, Probably as Ise no Saburo Disguised as Sanjo Uemon, Leader of a Robber Gang, in Part Two of the Play Fude-hajime Kanjincho (First Calligraphy of the New Year: Kanjincho [The Subscription List]), Performed at the Nakamura Theater from the Fifteenth Day of the First Month," created?

This artwork was created c. 1784.

Q: Is "The Actor Ichikawa Danjuro V, Probably as Ise no Saburo Disguised as Sanjo Uemon, Leader of a Robber Gang, in Part Two of the Play Fude-hajime Kanjincho (First Calligraphy of the New Year: Kanjincho [The Subscription List]), Performed at the Nakamura Theater from the Fifteenth Day of the First Month," in the public domain?

Yes, The Actor Ichikawa Danjuro V, Probably as Ise no Saburo Disguised as Sanjo Uemon, Leader of a Robber Gang, in Part Two of the Play Fude-hajime Kanjincho (First Calligraphy of the New Year: Kanjincho [The Subscription List]), Performed at the Nakamura Theater from the Fifteenth Day of the First Month, is in the public domain and available for free download under CC0 license.

Katsukawa Shunkо̄

c. 1784

The Actor Ichikawa Danjuro V, Probably as Ise no Saburo Disguised as Sanjo Uemon, Leader of a Robber Gang, in Part Two of the Play Fude-hajime Kanjincho (First Calligraphy of the New Year: Kanjincho [The Subscription List]), Performed at the Nakamura Theater from the Fifteenth Day of the First Month, 1784 by Katsukawa Shunkо̄

Medium

Color woodblock print; hosoban; right sheet of triptych (?)

Dimensions

29 × 13.2 cm (11 7/16 × 5 3/16 in.)

Classification

woodblock print

Department

Arts of Asia

Museum

Art Institute of Chicago

Accession Number

22157

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of18th-century Japanese theater with this striking woodblock print by Katsukawa Shunkō a master of the ukiyo-e tradition. Titled *The Actor Ichikawa Danjūrō V, Probably as Ise no Saburoguised as Sanjō Uemon*, it captures the famed kabuki star in a dramatic role from Part Two of *Fude-hajime Kanjinchō* (First Calligraphy of the New: Kanjinchō), performed at the Theater on the fifteenth day of the first month 1784. Shunkō's bold lines and expressive poses highlight Danjūrō's commanding presence as the leader of a robber gang, embodying the intensity of kabuki's larger...

About the Artist

Katsukawa Shunkо̄ · 1743–1812

Katsukawa Shunkō I (1743–1812), born Denjiro Kiyokawa in Edo (modern Tokyo), emerged as a pivotal figure in ukiyo-e woodblock printing. His early life remains sparsely documented, but by the late 1760s, he had begun illustrating books such as *Talks about Debut Plays* (*Kaomise shibai banashi*, 1766). Shunkō studied under the master Katsukawa Shunshō, founder and leader of the Katsukawa school, an...

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