The Actor Onoe Kikugoro I as the pageboy Kichisaburo in the play "Nanakusa Wakayagi Soga," performed at the Ichimura Theater in the first month, 1744
Medium
Color woodblock print; hosoban, benizuri-e
Dimensions
29.9 × 14.7 cm (11 3/4 × 5 3/4 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
19389
Art Historical Context
Step into the lively world of 18th-century Edo theater with this exquisite woodblock print by Torii Kiyomasu II, created in 1744. Titled *The Actor Onoe Kikoro I as the pageboy Kichisaburo in the play "Nanakusa Wakayagi Soga,"* it captures the star Onoe Kikugoro I in his role during a performance at the prestigious Ichimura Theater in the first lunar month. As a master of the Torii school, Kiyomasu II specialized in yakusha-e—dynamic portraits of kabuki actors—that brought the drama of the stage to everyday viewers, embodying the ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") tradition celebrating...
About the Artist
Torii Kiyomasu II · 1706–1763
At one point this artist was incorrectly identified as Kiyonobu II.