The Actors Yamashita Kinsaku I and Hayakawa Hatsuse as puppeteers in the play "Diary Kept on a Journey by Sea to Izu" ("Funadama Izu Nikki"), performed at the Nakamura Theater in the first month, 1725

Art Historical Context

Step into the lively world of Edo-period theater with *The Actors Yamashita Kinsaku I and Hay Hatsuse as Puppeteers in the "Diary Kept on Journey by Sea to I" ("Funadama Izu")*, a 1725 hand-colored wood print by Torii Kiyu II. This intimate hosoban-format work (34.1 × 15.5 cm) captures two kabuki stars in dynamic poses, manipulating puppets during a performance at the Nakamura Theater in early 1725. Kiyomasu II, from the renowned Torii school of ukiyo-e artists, specialized in yakusha-e—vibrant portraits of actors that brought the "floating world" of entertainment to life for everyday viewers. Printed during Japan's Genroku era, when kabuki flourished in Edo (modern Tokyo), this urushi-e (lacquer print) features a glossy, lustrous finish achieved by applying urushi lacquer to the woodblocks before printing, enhancing the actors' expressive faces and flowing robes with a jewel-like sheen. Hand-coloring added vivid hues, making these narrow prints affordable souvenirs for theater fans. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Arts of Asia collection, this piece highlights the fusion of theater and art in 18th-century Japan, preserving the charisma of stars like Yamashita Kinsaku I and offering a window into a cultural phenomenon that shaped ukiyo-e's golden age.

About the Artist

Torii Kiyomasu II · 1706–1763

At one point this artist was incorrectly identified as Kiyonobu II.