The Actors Ichikawa Danjuro II as Onio Shinzaemon and Ichikawa Masugoro as Soga no Goro in the play "Furiwake-gami Hatsugai Soga," performed at the Ichimura Theater in the first month, 1735
Medium
Hand-colored woodblock print; hosoban, beni-e
Dimensions
31.5 × 15 cm (12 7/16 × 5 15/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
86957
Art Historical Context
Step into the lively world of 18th-century Japanese kab theater with this hand-colored woodblock print byii Kiyonobu II, created in 1735. The narrow hosoban format (31.5 × 15 cm) captures Ichikawa Danjūrō II as the villainous Onio Shinzaemon and the young Ichikawa Masugō as the heroic Soga no Gorō from the play *Furiwake-gami Hatsugai S*, performed at Edo's Ichimura Theater in first lunar month. Kabuki was a sensational spectacle during the Edo period, blending drama, music, and elaborate costumes to draw massive crowds, and prints like this served as affordable souvenirs and advertisements fo...
About the Artist
Torii Kiyonobu II · 1702–1752
Japanese, ca. 1702–1752