This color woodblock print by Katsukawa Shunsho commemorates a performance at the Nakamura Theater in the eleventh month of 1771, depicting Ichikawa Yaozo II as Kujaku no Saburo, Matsumoto Koshiro II as Hata no Daizen Taketora, Nakajima Mihoemon II as Aramaki Mimishiro, and Nakamura Shocho I as the historical poet Ki no Tsurayuki, arranged from right to left in the play Kuni no Hana Ono no Itsumoji. The eleventh-month kaomise program was the most lavish moment of the kabuki calendar, introducing each troupe's new lineup, and this multi-figure design captures the breadth of casting on display. Shunsho arranges the four actors across the sheet with the individualised features and observed bearing that the Katsukawa school had introduced to yakusha-e, replacing the generic, mask-like faces of earlier actor printing. The composition prizes character contrast over background detail, focusing attention on costume, weaponry, and posture. As one of the central figures of the Katsukawa school and Edo ukiyo-e in this period, Shunsho was redefining how kabuki was visualised. The print is preserved in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, where it contributes to a documented record of the 1771 season and stands as a representative example of Shunsho's accomplished approach to multi-actor commemorative compositions.
c. 1772
Color woodblock print; aiban
c. early 1780s
color woodblock print
c. 1768
Color woodblock print; hosoban
The Actors Ichikawa Yaozo II as Kujaku no Saburo, Matsumoto Koshiro II as Hata no Daizen Taketora, Nakajima Mihoemon II as Aramaki Mimishiro, and Nakamura Shocho I as Ki no Tsurayuki (right to left), in the Play Kuni no Hana Ono no Itsumoji, Performed at the Nakamura Theater in the Eleventh Month, 1771 was created by Katsukawa Shunshō (勝川春章) in c. 1772.
The Actors Ichikawa Yaozo II as Kujaku no Saburo, Matsumoto Koshiro II as Hata no Daizen Taketora, Nakajima Mihoemon II as Aramaki Mimishiro, and Nakamura Shocho I as Ki no Tsurayuki (right to left), in the Play Kuni no Hana Ono no Itsumoji, Performed at the Nakamura Theater in the Eleventh Month, 1771 depicts sumo.
