The Actor Ichikawa Monnosuke III as the Sumo Wrestler Shirafuji Genta in the Play Edo no Hana Mimasu Soga, Performed at the Nakamura Theater in the Third Month, 1783
c. 1783
Medium
Color woodblock print; hosoban; center sheet of triptych
Dimensions
32.4 × 14.8 cm (12 3/4 × 5 13/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
32352
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of 18th-century Edo (modern-day Tokyo), Katsukawa Shunjō captures the theatrical energy of kabuki in this color woodblock print from around 1783. Titled *The Actor Ichikawa Monnosuke III as the Sumo Wrestler Shirafuji Genta in the Play Edo no Hana Mimasu Soga*, it depicts the star performer in a dramatic pose from a production at the renowned Nakamura Theater during the third lunar month. As the center sheet of a triptych in the narrow hosoban format (32.4 × 14.8 cm), it would have joined two flanking panels to form a panoramic scene, immersing viewers in the "floating wor...