The actor Segawa Kikunojo and a young woman kicking a ball
Medium
Color woodblock print; vertical naga-oban
Dimensions
49.9 × 20.1 cm (19 5/8 × 7 7/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
24299
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of Edo-period Japan (1603–1868), Utagawa Toyokuni (1769–1825) captured the theatrical glamour of kabuki with this striking color wood print. Titled *The Actor Segawa Kikunojo and a Woman Kicking a Ball*, it the renowned onnagata (female impersonator) Segawa Kikunojō in a dynamic, playful scene. Printed in the vertical naga-oban formatmeasuring 49.9 × 20.1 cm—this tall, narrow composition allows for full-figure portraits, a hallmark of yakusha-e (actor prints) that celebrated stage stars as cultural icons. Toyokuni, a master of the Utagawa school and pioneer in ukiyo-e ("p...
About the Artist
Utagawa Toyokuni I · 1777–1835
Japanese, 1777–1835