The Actor Ichikawa Yaozo II in a pre-performance celebration of the play "Soga Monogatari," performed at the Morita Theater in the second month, 1773
Medium
Color woodblock print; left sheet of hosoban triptych
Dimensions
30.2 × 13.7 cm (11 7/8 × 5 3/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
21966
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of 18th-century Edo (modern Tokyo), Ippitsusai Buncho captured the theatrical glamour of kabuki with this 1773 color woodblock print. Titled *The Actor Ichikawa Yaozo II in a pre-performance celebration of the play "S Monogatari," performed the Morita Theater in second month*, it depicts the celebrated actor Ichikawa Yaozō II amid festive preparations for the popular revenge tale *Soga Monogatari*. As the left sheet of a hosoban triptych—a narrow, three-panel format ideal for intimate actor portraits—this print invites viewers into the "floating world" (ukiyo-e) of theater...