The Actor Ichikawa Yaozo II
c. 1771
Medium
Color woodblock print; hosoban
Dimensions
31.2 × 14 cm (12 1/4 × 5 1/2 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
19948
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 18th-century Edo-period Japan with *The Actor Ichikawa Yaozo*, a masterful color woodblock print by Torii Kiyomitsu I, created around 1771. As a leading figure in the Torii school, Kiyomitsu specialized in *yakusha-e*—striking portraits of kabuki theater stars that captured the fleeting glamour of the "floating world" (*ukiyo-e*). Here, the renowned actor Ichikawa Yaozo is depicted in a dynamic pose, embodying the theatrical intensity and charisma that enthralled audiences in bustling playhouses. This *hosoban* print, a narrow vertical format measuring just 31.2...
About the Artist
Torii Kiyomitsu I · 1735–1785
Japanese, 1735–1785