The Actors Yamamoto Iwanojo as the courtesan Katsuragi and Sanogawa Ichimatsu I as Fuwa Bansaku in the play "Monzukushi Nagoya Soga," performed at the Ichimura Theater in the first month, 1748
Medium
Color woodblock print; hosoban, benizuri-e
Dimensions
29.9 × 15 cm (11 3/4 × 5 7/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
19301
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 18th-century Japanese theater with this exquisite woodblock print by Torii Kiyonobu II, created in 1748. Titled *The Actors Yamamoto Iwanojo as the courtesan Katsur and Sanogawa Ichimatsu I as Fuwa Bansaku in the play "Monzukushi Nagoya Soga,"* it captures two stars of the Ichimura Theater during the first month of performances. Kiyonobu II, a master of the Torii school, specialized in yakusha-e (actor prints), boldly advertising kabuki spectacles to Edo's theater-loving crowds. This hosoban-format print—narrow at just 29.9 × 15 cm—exemplifies benizuri-e, an inn...
About the Artist
Torii Kiyonobu II · 1702–1752
Japanese, ca. 1702–1752