The Actor Ichikawa Komazo II as the Spirit of Lady Shiragiku in the Play Hatsu Midori Saiwai Soga, Performed at the Kawarazaki Theater in the Third Month, 1791
c. 1791
Medium
Color woodblock print; hosoban
Dimensions
31.7 × 14 cm (12 1/2 × 5 1/2 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
22257
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of Edo-period kabuki theater with this striking *hosoban* woodblock by Katsukawa Shun'e, created around 1791. The artwork captures kabuki actor Ichikawa Komō II in the role of the Spirit of Lady Shiragiku the play *Hatsu Midoriwai Soga*, at Tokyo's Kawarazaki Theater in the third lunar month. Measuring just 31.7 × 14 cm, its narrow format made it an affordable, portable souvenir for theater enthusiasts, showcasing the actor's dramatic pose and ethereal ghostly attire amid swirling robes and expressive features. Shun'ei, a master of the Katsukawa school within the u...
About the Artist
Katsukawa Shun'ei · 1762–1819
Katsukawa Shun'ei (1762–1819) was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist who succeeded his master Katsukawa Shunshō as head of the Katsukawa school around 1800, continuing and advancing the school's innovations in kabuki actor portraiture. Born on December 13, 1762, into a landlord family with the surname Isoda, Shun'ei trained under Shunshō from his youth and became one of the most accomplished designers of y...