Yamashita Kinsaku II in an Unidentified Role
c. 1776
Medium
Color woodblock print; hosoban
Dimensions
31.4 × 15.1 cm (12 3/8 × 5 15/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
21944
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This single print shows a dancer performing a sequence within a Kabuki play performed at the Nakamura Theater in Edo (now Tokyo) in 1773. It tells the story of a young warrior out viewing maple leaves at the height of autumn. He meets a beautiful stranger who is really a mountain demon in disguise. The actor portraying her is holding up a demon (hannya) mask. This print is by Katsukawa Shunkō, Katsukawa Shunshō’s pupil.
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...