The Fourth Matsumoto Koshiro as an Outlaw Looking at a Wooden Ninsogaki
ca. 1779–83
Medium
Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
Dimensions
12 1/2 x 5 13/16 in. (31.8 x 14.8 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
JP358
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of Edo-period Japan with Katsukawa Shunshō'sThe Fourth Matsumoto Koshiro as an Outlaw Looking at Wooden Ninsogaki (ca. 1779–83). This wood print captures the renowned kabuki actor Matsumoto Kōshirō IV in a dramatic pose as a rugged outlaw, gazing intently at a wooden puppet or effigy—known as a *ninsogaki*. Surrounded by stylized trees, the scene evokes the theatrical intensity of ukiyo-e, the "pictures of the floating world" that celebrated everyday pleasures and performing arts. Shunshō, a master of the Katsukawa school, was celebrated for his realistic yakusha-e ...
About the Artist
Katsukawa Shunshō 勝川春章 (Japanese) · 1726 –1792
Japanese, 1726–1792