The Actor Nakamura Riko I as Moshio (?) in the Play Honda Yayoi Meoto Junrei (?), Performed at the Ichimura Theater (?) in the Seventh Month, 1778 (?)

Art Historical Context

This vibrant woodblock print by Katsukawa Shunkō captures the kabuki actor Nakamura Riko I in the role of Moshio the play *Honda Yayoi Meoto Junrei*, performed at the Ichimura Theater in Edo (modern Tokyo) around the seventh month of 177. Rendered in the narrow *hosoban* format—measuring just 31.9 × 14.8 cm—this intimate portrait exemplifies Shunkō's mastery of *yakusha-e*, or actor prints, a hallmark of ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") art. Shunkō, a leading pupil of Katsukawa Shunshō, brought dynamic realism to his depictions, emphasizing expressive poses and theatrical costumes. Produced during Japan's Edo period, when kabuki theater was a cultural phenomenon, such prints democratized access to star performers for everyday fans. The *hosoban* size made them affordable and collectible, often pasted into albums or used as calling cards. Shunkō's refined use of color—achieved through meticulous woodblock carving and multiple impressions—highlights the actor's dramatic makeup, flowing robes, and intense gaze, freezing a fleeting stage moment in time. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Arts of Asia collection, this work offers a window into 18th-century Japan's vibrant entertainment world, where art and theater intertwined to celebrate celebrity and impermanence.

About the Artist

Katsukawa Shunkо̄ · 1743–1812

Katsukawa Shunkō I (1743–1812), born Denjiro Kiyokawa in Edo (modern Tokyo), emerged as a pivotal figure in ukiyo-e woodblock printing. His early life remains sparsely documented, but by the late 1760s, he had begun illustrating books such as *Talks about Debut Plays* (*Kaomise shibai banashi*, 1766). Shunkō studied under the master Katsukawa Shunshō, founder and leader of the Katsukawa school, an...