The Actor Ichimura Uzaemon Eighth as a Samurai Carring a Basket Hat
ca. 1752
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
H. 12 1/2 in. (31.8 cm); W. 5 7/8 in. (14.9 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Estate of Samuel Isham, 1914
Accession Number
JP827
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of Edo-period Japan with *The Actor Ichimura Uza Eighth as a Samurai Carrying a Basket Hat*, a captivating woodblock print by Tor Kiyomasu I, around 1752. This hosoban-format print (measuring just 12½ by 5⅞ inches) captures the renowned kabuki actor Ichimurazaemon VIII in a samurai pose, sword at his side and a distinctive basket hat in hand. Produced by the esteemed Torii school, masters of yakusha-e (actor prints), it reflects the ukiyo-e tradition of celebrating fleeting pleasures like theater and celebrity. During Japan's Edo period (1615–1868), kabuki was a bo...
About the Artist
Torii Kiyomasu I
Torii Kiyomasu I was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist working in the early eighteenth century, closely associated with the Torii school, one of the most important lineages in the history of Japanese woodblock printmaking. The Torii school was founded by Torii Kiyonobu, and Kiyomasu I is believed to have been either his son or a close pupil — the precise family relationship remains a matter of scholarly d...