The Actors Ichimura Uzaemon and Arashi Sangorō
ca. 1773
Medium
Diptych of woodblock prints (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
Dimensions
Overall: H. 12 5/16 in. (31.3 cm); W. 11 in. (27.9 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1918
Accession Number
JP401a, b
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the lively world of Edo-period Japan with Katsukawa Shunshō's *The Actors Ichimura Uzaemon and Arashi Sangorō* (ca. 1773), a captivating diptych of woodblock prints from thekiyo-e tradition—"pictures of the floating world" that celebrated everyday pleasures like kabuki theater. Shunshō, a leading figure in the Katsukawa school, was renowned for his yakusha-e (actor prints), which immortalized star performers in dramatic poses. Here, the famed actors Ichimura Uzaemon and Arashi Sangorō are portrayed with vivid energy, evoking the thrill of Tokyo's bustling playhouses during the genre'...
About the Artist
Katsukawa Shunshō 勝川春章 (Japanese) · 1726 –1792
Japanese, 1726–1792