The Actors Ichimura Kamezo I as Kanto Koroku and Arashi Tominosuke I as Hayasaki in the play "Hokazo Yunzei Hachinoki," performed at the Ichimura Theater in the eleventh month, 1748
Medium
Color woodblock print; hosoban, benizuri-e
Dimensions
31.4 × 14.6 cm (12 3/8 × 5 3/4 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
19255
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 18th-century Japanese theater with this striking woodblock print by Torii Kiyonobu II, created in 1748. Titled *The Actors Ichimura Kzō I as Kantō Koroku and Arashi Tominosuke I as Hayasaki in the play "Hokazō Yunzei Hachin,"* it captures two kabuki stars mid-performance at the Ichimura Theater in Edo (modern-day Tokyo). Kiyonobu II, a master of the Torii school, specialized in dynamic actor portraits that advertised plays and immortalized the era's celebrities, blending sharp lines with expressive poses to convey drama and personality. This hosoban-format print...
About the Artist
Torii Kiyonobu II · 1702–1752
Japanese, ca. 1702–1752