The Actor Sanogawa Mangiku I
c. 1731
Medium
Hand-colored woodblock print; hosoban, urushi-e
Dimensions
32.7 × 15.6 cm (12 7/8 × 6 3/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
19315
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of 18th-century Edo (modern-day Tokyo), Torii Kiyomasu II the charisma of kabuki theater with *The Actor Sanogawaiku I* (c. 1731). As a master of the Torii school Kiyomasu specialized in yakusha-e—prints celebrating star actors like Sanogawa Mangiku I, a leading onnagata (female impersonator) whose graceful poses and expressive features drew huge crowds to the playhouses. This hand-colored woodblock print exemplifies ukiyo-e, the "pictures of the floating world" genre that immortalized fleeting pleasures like theater and urban life. The narrow hosoban format (32.7 × 15.6 ...
About the Artist
Torii Kiyomasu II · 1706–1763
At one point this artist was incorrectly identified as Kiyonobu II.