The Actor Ichikawa Danzo III as the Boathouse Man Kurofune Chuemon in the Play Sakai-cho Soga Nendaiki, Performed at the Nakamura Theater in the First Month, 1771
c. 1771
Medium
Color woodblock print; hosoban; from a multisheet composition (?)
Dimensions
31.6 × 14.4 cm (12 7/16 × 5 11/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
31399
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of 18th-century Edo (modern-day Tokyo), Katsukawa Shunsho captures the dramatic flair of Kabuki theater in this color woodblock print from around 1771. Titled *The Actor Ichikawa Dan III as the Boath Man Kurofune Chu in the Play Sakai-chooga Nendaiki*, portrays the star performer in his role during a production at the Nakamura Theater in the first lunar month. Shunsho, leading figure in the Katsukawa school of ukiyo ("pictures of the floating world"), specialized in yakusha-e—portraits of actors—that brought the stage's energy to everyday viewers. This hosoban, a narrow h...