Ichikawa Danjuro VI

Date:: c. 1792/93
Medium:: Color woodblock print
Format:: Oban
Source:: Art Institute of Chicago

Typical Price

Later reprint or reproduction: $50–$300
Good later impression (Edo-period, some wear): $1,500–$6,000
Good early impression (vivid color, strong characterization): $6,000–$20,000
Fine early impression (exceptional color and condition): $20,000–$50,000

Hokusai's actor portraits (yakusha-e) represent his early career in the Katsukawa school tradition. While less celebrated than his landscapes, early impressions with strong color are sought by collectors of Edo-period theater imagery.

Description

Ichikawa Danjuro VI, the celebrated kabuki actor of the Ichikawa family line whose aragoto (rough-style) performances defined heroic kabuki in late eighteenth-century Edo, is depicted in full theatrical character. Produced around 1792–93, when the sixth-generation Danjuro was at the height of his powers, this print reflects Hokusai's training under Katsukawa Shunshō and his facility with actor-portrait conventions.