The Actors Ichikawa Monnosuke I and Tamazawa Rinya
- Date:
- c. 1715
- Medium:
- Hand-colored woodblock print; o-oban, tan-e
- Source:
- Art Institute of Chicago
Description
Dated to circa 1715, this o-oban tan-e depicts the kabuki actors Ichikawa Monnosuke I and Tamazawa Rinya in performance together. The double-actor format gave Kiyomasu I an opportunity to compose the two figures in relation to one another, with their poses, gazes, and costumes calibrated to the dynamics of their stage roles. Hand-applied tan pigment fills the broad areas of the figures' robes, while the Torii school's heavy outlines articulate the contours of their costumes and the muscularity of their limbs. Prints depicting paired actors were among the most commercially popular formats of the period, since fans could see their favorite stage partners reunited on a single sheet. The print is held by the Art Institute of Chicago as part of its collection of early eighteenth-century theatrical prints from the Torii workshop.
More Prints by Torii Kiyomasu I
The Actors Arashi Koroku I as Makomo no Mae and Ichikawa Uzaemon VIII as Taira no Koremochi in the play "Shusse Momijigari," performed at the Ichimura Theater in the eleventh month, 1747
1747
Color woodblock print; hosoban, benizuri-e
The Actors Sanogawa Ichimatsu I as Soga no Goro and Ikushima Daikichi II as Kewaizaka no Shosho in the play "Monzukushi Nagoya Soga," performed at the Ichimura Theater in the first month, 1748
1748
Color woodblock print; hosoban, benizuri-e
Ichimura Manzo as Yatsushi Goro and Segawa Kikujiro as Yatsushi Shosho
ca. 1745
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Courtesan
ca. 1712
Monochrome woodblock (tan-e) print; ink on paper
Frequently Asked Questions
The Actors Ichikawa Monnosuke I and Tamazawa Rinya was created by Torii Kiyomasu I (鳥居清倍) in c. 1715.