The Actor Yoshizawa Ayame II as Hotoke Gozen in the play "Onna Monji Heike Monogatari," performed at the Nakamura Theater in the eleventh month, 1748
Medium
Color woodblock print; hosoban, benizuri-e
Dimensions
30.5 × 14 cm (12 × 5 1/2 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
19295
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 18th-century Japanese kabuki theater with this striking woodblock print by Torii Kiyonobu. Created in 1748, it captures the renowned onnagata actor Yoshizawa Ayame II in the role of Hotoke Gozen the play *Onna Monji Heike Monogatari*, performed at Edo's Nakamura Theater. As part of the ukiyo-e tradition—"pictures of the floating world"—these yakusha-e (actor prints) celebrated the stars of kabuki, blending drama, fashion, and fleeting beauty from everyday life. Torii Kiyonobu II, from the esteemed Torii school of printmakers, specialized in bold, dynamic portrai...
About the Artist
Torii Kiyonobu II · 1702–1752
Japanese, ca. 1702–1752