The Actor Yamashita Kinsaku holding a puppet of the Empress in the play "Diary Kept on a Journey by Sea to Izu (Funadama Izu Nikki)," performed at the Nakamura Theater in the first month, 1725
Medium
Hand-colored woodblock print; hosoban, urushi-e
Dimensions
32.7 × 15.3 cm (13 × 6 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
19247
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 18th-century Japanese kabuki theater with this exquisite woodblock print by Torii Kiyonobu, a master of the Torii school for its dynamic yakusha-e (actor prints). Created in 1725, the work depicts the actor Yamashita Kinsaku II holding a puppet of the Empress from the play *Diary Kept a Journey by Sea tozu (Funadama Izu)*, performed at Edo's famed Nakamura Theater in the first lunar month. At just 32.7 × 15.3 cm, its narrow hosoban format—ideal for single-sheet portraits—captures Kinsaku's expressive pose and elaborate costume, freezing a fleeting moment of drama...
About the Artist
Torii Kiyonobu II · 1702–1752
Japanese, ca. 1702–1752