The Actor Segawa Kikunojo III as Lady Tomoe (Tomoe Gozen) in the Play Yasa Gumbai Miyako no Jindori, Performed at the Miyako Theater in the Eleventh Month, 1793
c. 1793
Medium
Color woodblock print; hosoban
Dimensions
32.4 × 14.5 cm (12 3/4 × 5 11/16 in.)
Classification
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
89328
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of Edo-period kabuki theater with Katsukawa Shun'ei's *The Actor Segawa Kikuno III as Lady TomoeTomoe Gozen) in the Play Yasa G Miyako no Jind*, created around 1793. This color woodblock print captures the renowned onnagata actor Segawa Kikunojo in the role of the fierce warrior woman Tomoe Gozen, a legendary figure from Japanese history known for her bravery in the Genpei War. Produced for a performance at the Miyako Theater in Kyoto during the eleventh month, it exemplifies Shun'ei's mastery in the ukiyo-e tradition, the "pictures of the floating world" that celeb...
About the Artist
Katsukawa Shun'ei · 1762–1819
Katsukawa Shun'ei (1762–1819) was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist who succeeded his master Katsukawa Shunshō as head of the Katsukawa school around 1800, continuing and advancing the school's innovations in kabuki actor portraiture. Born on December 13, 1762, into a landlord family with the surname Isoda, Shun'ei trained under Shunshō from his youth and became one of the most accomplished designers of y...