No. 5, Actor Matsumoto Kōshirō VII as Benkei

Created between 1951 and 1952, this oban woodblock print in ink and color on paper is designated as number five in what appears to be a series of kabuki portraits. The subject is again Matsumoto Koshiro VII as Benkei, the warrior monk who is the defining role for the Koshiro acting line. Benkei's aragoto performance style demands bold, exaggerated movements and the striking kumadori face paint that transforms the actor's features into a stylized mask of power and determination. The red and blue lines of the kumadori follow the muscles and veins of the face, amplifying the actor's expressions to reach the back rows of the theater. Ota Masamitsu's print preserves these painted patterns with the precision that only the woodblock medium can achieve, each line carved into the block and printed with consistent clarity. As number five in a series, this print joins a sequence of actor portraits that together document multiple roles or performance moments.