The Third Segawa Kikunojo as (?) Wife of Kudo Suketsune in a Soga Play
ca. 1792?
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
12 7/32 x 5 1/2 in. (31.1 x 14.0 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
JP311
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of Edo-period Japan (1615–1868), Katsukawa Shuni, a master of the ukiyo-e tradition from the Katsukawa school, the theatrical glamour of Kabuki stars. This woodblock print, dated around 1792, portrays the celebrated actor Segawa Kikunojō III in the role of the wife of Kudō Suketsune from a Soga play—a popular tale of revenge centered on the Soga brothers' vendetta. Segawa, one of the era's premier *onnagata* (male actors specializing in female roles), embodies the elegance and intensity of the character, her elaborate kimono and expressive pose frozen in ink and color on p...
About the Artist
Katsukawa Shun'ei 勝川春英 (Japanese) · 1762 –1819
Japanese, 1762–1819