The actor Onoe Kikugoro III as Nagoya Sanza in the play "Sato no Haru Meibutsu Amigasa," performed at the Kawarazaki Theater in the first month, 1827
Medium
Color woodblock print; left sheet of shikishiban diptych, surimono
Dimensions
21.6 × 19.4 cm (8 9/16 × 7 11/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
81309
Art Historical Context
This exquisite woodblock print by Utagawa Kunis I (also known as Toyokuni), created in 1827, the kabuki actor Onoe Kikoro III in the role of Nagoya Sanza from the play *Sato no Haru Meib Amigasa*, performed Edo's Kawarazaki Theater the first lunar month. the left sheet of a rare shikishiban diych—a square format prized for its intimate scale (21.6 × 19.4 cm)—it showcases Kunisada's mastery of *yakusha-e*, or actor portraits, a hallmark of ukiyo-e art celebrating the "floating world" of theater and entertainment. Kunisada, a leading figure in the Utagawa school during Japan's Edo period, produ...
About the Artist
Utagawa Kunisada I (Toyokuni III) · 1786–1864
Utagawa Kunisada I, also known as Toyokuni III (1786–1865), was born Sumida Shōgorō in the Honjo district of Edo (modern Tokyo) into a family that operated a hereditary ferry-boat service, providing stability after his father's early death. Displaying prodigious talent in drawing from childhood, he became an apprentice to the master Utagawa Toyokuni I around 1801 at age fifteen, entering the prest...