Image

Katsukawa Shunshō

The actor Ichikawa Danjurō V

Description

Maker

Katsukawa Shunshō (Japanese, 1725-1792)

Title

The actor Ichikawa Danjurō V

Period

Edo (Japanese period)

Year

1780s

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

color, ink

Supports

Geography

Place Made: Japan; Place Made: Tokyo

Dimensions

Hosoban: 29.7 x 11.1 cm (11 11/16 x 4 3/8 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Poem signed: Sanjo, the actor's poetry name, and the poem refers to his nickname "kazari ebi," the large lobster decoration on New Year'
Signed: Shunsho ga

Signature: Shunsho ga

Inscription: Inscribed verso, bottom right: 85[2] [Illegible][text and poems]

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Mrs. Gustav Radeke

Object Number

20.1099

Type

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Fan-Shaped Bird and Flower Prints from the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Collection
May 11, 1990 – Jun 30, 1990

Label copy

Shunsho was one of the first print artists to break away from the formalism of the Torii school to probe the personalities of kabuki actors by depicting their distinctly individual miens. Here, the face of Danjuro V (1741-1806) pointedly contrasts with his dignified court dress in a manner that would, a few decades later, be further developed in haunting, psychological actor portraits by Sharaku.

Use & Feedback

Image use

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This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Katsukawa Shunshō (Japanese, 1725-1792)
The actor Ichikawa Danjurō V, 1780s
Polychrome woodblock print
Hosoban: 29.7 x 11.1 cm (11 11/16 x 4 3/8 inches)
Gift of Mrs. Gustav Radeke 20.1099

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