Scene from the Drama "Sazareishi Suehiro Genji"
12th month, 1743 or 1st month, 1744
Medium
Urushi-e (lacquer) print
Dimensions
12 1/2 x 5 3/4 in. (31.8 x 14.6 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Howard Mansfield Collection, Purchase, Rogers Fund, 1936
Accession Number
JP2583
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
This striking *urushi-e* print Torii Kiyomasu, titled *Scene from the Drama "Sazishi Suehiro Gen"*, dates to the 12th month of 3 or the 1st month of 1744. Measuring just 12½ x 5¾ inches, it depicts kabuki actors in a dramatic moment featuring swords, horses, and—likely portraying warriors or samurai from the popular play. Produced during Japan's Edo period (16151868), it exemplifies the Torii school's mastery of *yakusha-e* (actor prints), which advertised theater performances and captured the fleeting excitement of the "floating world" (*ukiyo*). The *urushi-e* medium is a highlight: an early color-printing technique using lacquer (*urushi*) mixed with pigments and glue for vibrant, glossy hues that pop against the paper. This innovative method, pioneered by the Torii family, bridged hand-colored *sumizuri-e* (monochrome prints) and later full-color *nishiki-e*, making theater icons accessible to urban audiences in Edo (modern Tokyo). Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Asian Art Department as part of The Howard Mansfield Collection (purchased via Rogers Fund in 1936), this print offers a window into 18th-century Japan's thriving kabuki culture, where star actors were celebrities, blending artistry, drama, and everyday spectacle.
About the Artist
Torii Kiyomasu I
Torii Kiyomasu I was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist working in the early eighteenth century, closely associated with the Torii school, one of the most important lineages in the history of Japanese woodblock printmaking. The Torii school was founded by Torii Kiyonobu, and Kiyomasu I is believed to have been either his son or a close pupil — the precise family relationship remains a matter of scholarly d...