Actor Matsumoto Kōshirō IV

Held by the Cleveland Museum of Art, this Katsukawa Shunkō print depicts the actor Matsumoto Kōshirō IV (1737–1802), one of the most important Edo kabuki actors of the late eighteenth century. Matsumoto Kōshirō IV was particularly renowned for villain roles (jitsuaku) and for his powerful, charismatic stage presence; he was one of the principal stars whose performances drove the demand for Katsukawa-school actor prints in the 1770s and 1780s. The Matsumoto acting family, long associated with the Ichikawa lineage and with the Edo Nakamura-za theater, produced a series of important Kōshirōs across the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, but the fourth holder of the name is among the most celebrated. Shunkō's print captures both the actor's distinctive features — particularly his strong jawline and sharp eyes — and the costuming of a specific role. The Cleveland Museum of Art's holdings of Katsukawa-school actor prints are among the strongest in North America and provide a remarkable record of late-eighteenth-century Edo theatrical culture. This Kōshirō IV print is part of a broader collection that allows researchers to follow the actor's career across multiple Katsukawa designers, including Shunshō and Shun'ei, and to trace the stylistic evolution of the Katsukawa school over more than three decades.