The Actors Sanogawa Ichimatsu I as Ike no Shoji and Segawa Kikujiro I as Hitachi Kohagi in the play "Mangetsu Oguri Yakata," performed at the Ichimura Theater in the eighth month, 1747
Medium
Color woodblock print; hosoban, benizuri-e
Dimensions
26.7 × 14 cm (10 1/2 × 5 1/2 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
19289
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 18th-century Japanese kabuki theater with this exquisite woodblock print by Torii Kiyonobu II, a of the Torii school for capturing the drama and allure of actors on stage. Created in 1747, the print portrays Sanogawa Ichimatsu as Ike no Shoji and Segawa Kikujiro as Hitachi Kohagi from the play *Mangetsuuri Yakata*, performed Edo's Ichimura Theater in eighth lunar month. Its narrow hosoban format—measuring just 26.7 × 14 cm—made it an ideal, affordable souvenir for theatergoers, slipping easily into a sleeve. This benizuri-e, or "rose-colored picture," showcases ...
About the Artist
Torii Kiyonobu II · 1702–1752
Japanese, ca. 1702–1752