The Actor, Matsumoto Koshiro I 1674–1730 in an Unidentified Role
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
H. 11 1/2 in. (29.2 cm); W. 5 1/2 in. (14 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929
Accession Number
JP1762
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of Edo-period Japan (1615–1868), Katsukawa Shunk's woodblock print *The Actor, Matsumoto Kōshirō I (1674–1730) in an Unidentified Role captures the dramatic flair of kabuki theater. Shunkō, a leading figure in the Katsukawa school of uki-e ("pictures of the floating world"), in yakusha-e—portraits of actors—that celebrated the era's superstar performers. This intimate print depicts the legendary Matsumoto Kōshirō I, a pioneering onnagata (male actor specializing in female roles), frozen in a dynamic pose that hints at his expressive stage presence, though the exact role re...
About the Artist
Katsukawa Shunkō
Katsukawa Shunkō I (1743–1812) was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist who pioneered the ōkubi-e (large-head) portrait format in kabuki actor prints and served as possibly the first student of Katsukawa Shunshō, the founder of the influential Katsukawa school. Born in 1743, Shunkō spent his entire life in Edo (modern Tokyo), working as both a painter and ukiyo-e printmaker specializing in yakusha-e (actor p...