The Actor Onoe Matsusuke I as Kobayashi no Asahina Disguised as a Bird-Catcher in the Play Edo no Haru Meisho Soga, Performed at the Ichimura Theater in the Third Month, 1773
c. 1773
Medium
Color woodblock print; hosoban
Dimensions
29.6 × 12.6 cm (11 5/8 × 4 15/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
31652
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of 18th-century Edo (modern Tokyo), Katsukawa Shunsho captures the theatrical flair of kabuki star Onoe Matsusuke in this color woodblock print from around 1773. Titled *The Actor Onoe Matsuke I as Kobayashi noahina Disguised a Bird-Catcher in Play Edo no Haruisho Soga*, it depicts the actor in his role from a performance at the Ichimura Theater the third lunar month. Shunsho, leading figure in the ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") tradition and founder of the Katsukawa school, specialized in yakusha-e—dynamic portraits of kabuki performers that celebrated their o...