The Actor Osagawa Tsuneyo II as Onoe in the Play Haru no Nishiki Date-zome Soga, Performed at the Nakamura Theater in the Fourth Month, 1790
c. 1790
Medium
Color woodblock print; hosoban; left sheet of diptych
Dimensions
30.4 × 13.8 cm (11 15/16 × 5 7/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
35321
Art Historical Context
This vibrant woodblock print by Katsukawa Shunkō the kabuki actor Osagawa Tseyo II in the role of Onoe from the play *Haru no Nishiki Date-zome S*, performed at Tokyo's Nakamura Theater in the of 1790. As a leading figure in the ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world"), Shunkō specialized in yakusha-e—portraits of kabuki performers—that brought the drama of the stage to everyday viewers. His expressive style, with bold lines and dynamic poses, vividly conveys the actor's intensity and elegance. Printed in the narrow hosoban format (about 30 x 14 cm), this is the left sheet of a diptych, des...
About the Artist
Katsukawa Shunkо̄ · 1743–1812
Katsukawa Shunkō I (1743–1812), born Denjiro Kiyokawa in Edo (modern Tokyo), emerged as a pivotal figure in ukiyo-e woodblock printing. His early life remains sparsely documented, but by the late 1760s, he had begun illustrating books such as *Talks about Debut Plays* (*Kaomise shibai banashi*, 1766). Shunkō studied under the master Katsukawa Shunshō, founder and leader of the Katsukawa school, an...