The Actor Ichikawa Danzo IV as Soga no Goro Tokimune in the Play Chigo Suzuri Aoyagi Soga, Performed at the Nakamura Theater in the First Month, 1777
c. 1777
Medium
Color woodblock print; hosoban; left sheet of triptych
Dimensions
32.6 × 14.9 cm (12 13/16 × 5 7/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
22129
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 18th-century Japanese kab theater with this stunning color woodblock print by Katsukawa Shunsho, a master of the ukiyo-e tradition. Titled *The Actor Ichikawa Danzo IV as Soga no Goro Tokimune in the Play Chigo Suzurioyagi Soga*, it captures the star performer in a dramatic role from a production at the famed Nakamura Theater in the first month of 1777. As the left sheet of a triptych in the narrow hosoban format (32.6 × 14.9 cm), this print would have been one of three panels forming a larger scene, allowing fans to recreate the stage action at home. Shunsho, a...