The Third Ichikawa Yaozo in the Role of the Otokodate Sukeroku
1784
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
11 7/8 x 5 3/4 in. (30.2 x 14.6 cm) (trimmed)
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
JP274
Tags
Art Historical Context
This striking woodblock print by Katsukawa Shunkō captures the celebrated kabuki actor Ichikawa Yaozo III in the of Sukeroku, a dashing otokodate (chivalrous commoner) from the popular play *Sukeroku Yukari no Edo Zakura*. Created in 1784 during Japan’s Edo period, the work exemplifies the vibrant tradition of yakusha-e, or actor portraits, which brought the excitement of the theater into everyday life. Shunkō, a leading artist of the Katsukawa school, was renowned for his dynamic depictions of performers, often emphasizing their expressive poses and distinctive costumes. As a hosoban-format ...
About the Artist
Katsukawa Shunkō
Katsukawa Shunkō I (1743–1812) was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist who pioneered the ōkubi-e (large-head) portrait format in kabuki actor prints and served as possibly the first student of Katsukawa Shunshō, the founder of the influential Katsukawa school. Born in 1743, Shunkō spent his entire life in Edo (modern Tokyo), working as both a painter and ukiyo-e printmaker specializing in yakusha-e (actor p...