The Actor Ichikawa Shoemon, from "A Picture Book of Stage Fans (Ehon butai ogi)"
Medium
Color woodblock print; page from illustrated book
Dimensions
24.5 × 15.3 cm (9 5/8 × 6 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
31326
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of 18th-century Edo (modern Tokyo), Katsukawa Shunsho captured the drama of kabuki theater in *The Actor Ichikawa Shoemon*, a color woodblock print from his 1770 illustrated book *A Book of Stage Fans (hon butai ogi)*. Shunsho, a leading master of ukiyo-e—"pictures of the floating world"—specialized in yakusha-e, or actor portraits, that idolized stars like Ichikawa Shoemon. This intimate page (24.5 × 15.3 cm) reflects the era's obsession with theater, where fans devoured images of performers' expressive poses and lavish costumes, blurring art and celebrity culture. Shuns...