Onoe Matsusuke as a Man Standing on a Path through Rice Fields

Art Historical Context

This captivating woodblock print by Katsukawa Shun'ei captures the renowned kabuki actor Onoe Matsusuke in a dramatic outdoor role, striding along a path through rice fields. Created around 1797 during Japan’s Edo period, the work is one sheet from a larger triptych, a format often used to convey sweeping scenes or sequential moments in a theatrical performance. Shun'ei, a leading figure in the Katsukawa school, specialized in actor portraits that brought the energy of the stage to everyday viewers. Woodblock printing was a revolutionary medium in Edo Japan, allowing artists to produce vibrant, affordable images in multiple colors through intricate carving and registration techniques. These prints celebrated the floating world of theater, fashion, and urban life, making stars like Matsusuke household names. The actor’s expressive pose and detailed costume reflect the stylized intensity of kabuki, where gesture and presence conveyed entire stories. Today, this delicate sheet—measuring just over twelve inches tall—offers a window into the rich theatrical culture of late-eighteenth-century Japan, preserved at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About the Artist

Katsukawa Shun'ei 勝川春英 (Japanese) · 1762 –1819

Japanese, 1762–1819