Torii Kiyotomo

Actor as a street vendor selling hand towels and scent pouches in the shapes of kimono sleeves (Sanogawa Ichimatsu?)

Maker

Torii Kiyotomo (Japanese, fl. 1720-1740s)

Title

Actor as a street vendor selling hand towels and scent pouches in the shapes of kimono sleeves (Sanogawa Ichimatsu?)

Period

Edo (Japanese period)

Year

mid-1720s

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

color, ink

Supports

Geography

Place Made: Japan; Place Made: Tokyo

Dimensions

Sheet: 30.3 x 15.1 cm (11 15/16 x 5 15/16 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Signature: Torii Kiyotomo hitsu

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Mrs. Gustav Radeke

Object Number

20.1061

Type

Exhibition History

Edo Theater
The Drama of Kabuki
Jan 18, 2008 – May 18, 2008

Label copy

The inscription on this actor's backpack identifies his merchandise as "fashionable scented hand towels with actor's crests." These objects were souvenirs or collector's items that recalled one's favorite actors. In an illusion to the pleasure quarters so closely identified with the "floating world" (ukiyo), this female impersonator's robe is patterned with entrances to brothels in the pleasure quarters.

Image use

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

Tombstone

Torii Kiyotomo (Japanese, fl. 1720-1740s)
Actor as a street vendor selling hand towels and scent pouches in the shapes of kimono sleeves (Sanogawa Ichimatsu?), mid-1720s
Polychrome woodblock print
Sheet: 30.3 x 15.1 cm (11 15/16 x 5 15/16 inches)
Gift of Mrs. Gustav Radeke 20.1061

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