The Actor Nakamura Nakazo I as Nagao Terutora in the Play Kuruma-gakari Tekuda no Gumbai, Performed at the Ichimura Theater in the Eleventh Month, 1783
c. 1783
Medium
Color woodblock print; hosoban
Dimensions
32.5 × 14.8 cm (12 13/16 × 5 13/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
32023
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 18th-century Japanese theater with Katsukawa Shunsho's *The Actor Nakamura Nakazo I Nagao Terutora the Play Kuruma-gari Tekuda no Gumbai*. Created around 1783, this color woodblock print captures the kabuki actor in a dynamic pose from a performance at Tokyo's Ichimura Theater.sho, a leading master of ukiyo-e—the "pictures of the floating world"—specialized in yakusha-e, intimate portraits that immortalized theater idols, blending realism with dramatic flair. Printed in the narrow hosoban format (32.5 × 14.8 cm), ideal for affordable display in homes or shops, t...