The Second Segawa Kikunojo Commonly Known by His Literary Name, Roko
ca. 1762
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
H. 23 1/2 in. (59.7 cm); W. 4 1/8 in. (10.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Estate of Samuel Isham, 1914
Accession Number
JP838
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the dazzling world of Edo-period Japan with Torii Kiyomitsu's *The Second Segawa Kikunojo Commonly Known by His Literary Name, Roko* (ca. 1762). This woodblock print captures the celebrated kabuki actor Segawa Kikunojō II, known as Roko, a master onnagata who specialized in female roles. Produced during the vibrant Edo period (1615–1868), it reflects ukiyo-e's "floating world" fascination with theater, fashion, and fleeting pleasures, where stars like Roko were as idolized as modern celebrities. Kiyomitsu, a leading figure in the Torii school, excelled in yakusha-e (actor prints) wi...
About the Artist
Torii Kiyomitsu · 1735–1785
Torii Kiyomitsu (1735–1785) was a leading master of the Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock print tradition and a key figure in the third generation of the celebrated Torii school. Born into an artistic dynasty founded by his ancestor Torii Kiyonobu, Kiyomitsu trained within the family workshop and inherited its deep connections to the Kabuki theater world, for which the Torii school had long designed prom...