The Actor Nakamura Riko I as Osen of the Komatsuya House (?) in the Play Nanakusa Yosooi Soga (?), Performed at the Nakamura Theater (?) in the Second Month, 1782 (?)
c. 1782
Medium
Color woodblock print; hosoban
Dimensions
32.1 × 15 cm (12 5/8 × 5 7/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
47782
Art Historical Context
This vibrant woodblock print by Katsukawa Shunjō captures the kabuki actor Nakamura Riko I in the role of Osen from the Komatsuya House, likely from the play *Nanakusa Yosooi Soga*, performed at the Nakamura Theater in the second month of 1782. Created around that time during Japan's Edo period, it exemplifies *yakusha-e*—actor portraits that were wildly popular among theatergoers, immortalizing stars of the stage in dramatic poses and elaborate costumes. Shunjō, a master of the Katsukawa school within the ukiyo-e tradition, specialized in these lively depictions of the "floating world" of en...