The Actors Ichikawa Monnosuke II as Miyukinosuke, Segawa Kikunojo III as Hatsune-hime, and Ichikawa Danjuro V as Ninnaji no Saibei, in the joruri "Shitenno Oe no Yamairi," performed at the Kiri Theater in the eleventh month, 1785

Art Historical Context

Step into the dazzling world of 18th-century Japanese kabuki theater with Torii Kiyonaga's *The Actors Ichikawa Monnosuke II as Miyukinos, Segawa Kikunojo III as Hatsune-hime, and Ichikawa Danjuro V Ninnaji no Saibei*. Created in 1785, this color woodblock print (oban format, 38.7 × 26.8 cm) immortalizes a scene from the joruri play *Shitenno Oe no Yamairi*, performed at Edo's prestigious Kiri Theater in the eleventh month. Kiyonaga, a master of the ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") tradition from the Torii school, expertly captures the stars in dynamic poses, their elaborate costumes and expressive faces bursting with life amid the stage's drama. Ukiyo-e prints like this were affordable snapshots of popular culture, produced through a meticulous process of carving wooden blocks for each color layer—often up to a dozen—allowing vivid hues and fine details. Kiyonaga's yakusha-e (actor prints) elevated the genre, blending realism with stylized beauty to honor kabuki icons like the charismatic Ichikawa Danjuro V, a leading onnagata (female role specialist) Segawa Kikunojo III, and others. Displayed in homes or sold at theaters, these works fueled fan fervor. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Arts of Asia collection, this print offers a window into Edo-period Japan's theatrical golden age, where art and performance intertwined to celebrate fleeting pleasures and timeless stories.

About the Artist

Torii Kiyonaga · 1752–1815

Torii Kiyonaga, born Sekiguchi Shinsuke in 1752 in Uraga, Sagami Province, was the son of an Edo bookseller who owned tenements near a bustling fish market. At age 14 in 1765, he began his apprenticeship under Torii Kiyomitsu, the third-generation head of the prestigious Torii school of ukiyo-e, renowned for kabuki theater illustrations and signage. Adopted into the Torii family, Kiyonaga succeede...