The Actors Ichikawa Danjuro II as Onio Shinzaemon and Ichikawa Masugoro as Soga no Goro in the play "Furiwake-gami Hatsugai Soga," performed at the Ichimura Theater in the first month, 1735

Art Historical Context

Step into the lively world of 18th-century Japanese kab theater with this hand-colored woodblock print byii Kiyonobu II, created in 1735. The narrow hosoban format (31.5 × 15 cm) captures Ichikawa Danjūrō II as the villainous Onio Shinzaemon and the young Ichikawa Masugō as the heroic Soga no Gorō from the play *Furiwake-gami Hatsugai S*, performed at Edo's Ichimura Theater in first lunar month. Kabuki was a sensational spectacle during the Edo period, blending drama, music, and elaborate costumes to draw massive crowds, and prints like this served as affordable souvenirs and advertisements for star performers. Torii Kiyonobu II, a master of the Torii school, excelled in yakusha-e (actor prints) within the ukiyo-e tradition, which celebrated the "floating world" of entertainment. This beni-e technique—hand-brushed with vivid safflower red (beni) on black outlines—represents an early evolution toward multicolored printing, predating the full-spectrum nishiki-e brocade prints. The dynamic poses and expressive faces convey the raw energy of live performance, highlighting the actors' larger-than-life personas. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Arts of Asia collection, this print offers a window into Japan's theatrical golden age, where art and popular culture intertwined to immortalize fleeting moments of drama and fame.

About the Artist

Torii Kiyonobu II · 1702–1752

Japanese, ca. 1702–1752