The Actor Nakajima Kanzaemon III as Yaguchi no Karasu-baba in the Play Hono Nitta Daimyojin, Performed at the Morita Theater in the Seventh Month, 1777
c. 1777
Medium
Color woodblock print; hosoban; from a multisheet composition
Dimensions
31.3 × 14.7 cm (12 5/16 × 5 13/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
22103
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 18th-century Japanese kabuki with Katsukawa Shunsho's *The Actor Nakajima Kanzaemon III as Yaguchi noasu-baba in the Hono Nitta Daimojin*. Created around 1777, this color woodblock print captures the intensity of a performance at the esteemed Morita Theater in Edomodern-day Tokyo). Shunsho, a master the ukiyo-e—"pictures of the floating world"—ized in yakusha-e, or actor portraits, that immortalized kabuki stars in iconic roles. Printed in the narrow hosoban format (31.3 × 14.7 cm), this piece is part of a larger multisheet composition, allowing fans to collect ...