The actors Segawa Kikunojo III (R) as the courtesan Katsuragi and Sawamura Sojuro III (L) as Nagoya Sanza Motoharu
1794
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
38.7 × 25.5 cm (15 1/4 × 10 1/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
86923
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 18th-century Japanese kabuki theater with Tōshūsai Sharaku's *The actors Segawa Kikunojo III (R) as the courtesan Katsuragi Sawamura Sojuro (L) as Nagoyaza Motoharu* (1794). This color woodblock print captures two kabuki stars in dynamic roles from a popular play, showcasing Segawa's graceful portrayal of the courtesan Katsuragi on the right and Sawamura's intense depiction of the warrior Nagoya Sanza Motoharu on the left. Produced during the Edo period, it exemplifies ukiyo-e, the "pictures of the floating world" that celebrated fleeting pleasures like theater a...
About the Artist
Tōshūsai Sharaku · 1794–1795
Tōshūsai Sharaku stands as one of the most enigmatic figures in Japanese art history, a ukiyo-e printmaker whose brilliant career blazed for just ten months from the summer of 1794 to early spring 1795. Active exclusively in Edo (modern Tokyo), he produced approximately 150 woodblock prints and sketches, primarily yakusha-e—intimate portraits of kabuki actors captured mid-performance. Published by...