The Actor Otani Hiroji III as Hata no Daizen Taketora in the play "Kisoeuta Sakae Komachi," performed at the Ichimura Theater in the eleventh month, 1762

Art Historical Context

In the vibrant world of 18th-century Edo (modern Tokyo), kabuki theater was a cultural phenomenon, and this color woodblock print by Torii Kiyomitsu captures its theatrical magic. Created in 1762, it portrays the celebrated actor Ōtani Hiroji III the role of Hata no Daizen Takora from the play *Kisoeuta Sakae Komachi*, performed at the prestigious Ichimura Theater during the lunar month. Kiyomitsu, a master of the Torii school, specialized in yakusha-e (actor prints), blending dynamic poses and expressive faces to immortalize star performers for an adoring public. This narrow hosoban-format print (31.2 × 14 cm) is a benizuri-e, an innovative early color technique using just three blocks—typically pinkish-red (beni), blue, and yellow—for subtle yet striking hues. Such prints were affordable souvenirs and advertisements, reflecting ukiyo-e's "floating world" ethos of fleeting pleasures like theater. Kiyomitsu's bold lines and dramatic composition highlight the actor's fierce expression and flowing robes, evoking the intensity of kabuki's aragoto style. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Arts of Asia collection, this work exemplifies how woodblock prints democratized art, bridging elite theater with everyday fans and paving the way for full-color ukiyo-e masterpieces by later artists like Hiroshige and Hokusai.

About the Artist

Torii Kiyomitsu I · 1735–1785

Japanese, 1735–1785