The actors Segawa Kikunojo III as the courtesan Kojoro of the Mikuniya and Arashi Sanpachi I as her elder brother Kujuro in the play "Tomigaoka Koi no Yamabiraki," performed at the Kiri Theater in the first month, 1798
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
37.3 × 24.3 cm (14 11/16 × 9 9/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
24275
Art Historical Context
This vibrant woodblock print by Utagawa Toyokuni I captures a dramatic moment from the kabuki play *Tomigaoka Koi no Yamabiraki*, performed at the prestigious Kiri Theater in Edo (modern-day Tokyo) during the first lunar month of 1798. It features renowned actors Segawa Kikunojo III the courtesan Kojoro of the Mikuniya and Arashi Sanpachi I as her elder brother Kujuro. Toyokuni, a leading figure in the ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") tradition, specialized in yakusha-e—dynamic portraits of kabuki performers that brought the theater's energy to everyday viewers. Printed in the oban ...
About the Artist
Utagawa Toyokuni I · 1777–1835
Japanese, 1777–1835