Published in 1890, this woodblock print by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi belongs to the late series Snow, Moon, and Flowers (Setsugekka no uchi), in which the artist paired celebrated kabuki actors with the three classical seasonal motifs of Japanese poetry and painting. Here the 'snow' theme is embodied by Onoe Kikugorō V, one of the leading actors of the Meiji stage, in the role of the priest Iwakura Sōgen. Yoshitoshi depicts the figure in heavy winter robes against a snowbound landscape, the dense black of the priest's outer garment set off against fields of white that recall the [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) gradations characteristic of the finest late [ukiyo-e](/glossary/ukiyo-e) printing. The composition combines actor portraiture with the lyrical mood of classical landscape, a synthesis Yoshitoshi pursued throughout the final phase of his career. Designed in the same year as the late installments of One Hundred Aspects of the Moon, the print exemplifies the mature aesthetic of Meiji ukiyo-e, in which traditional [yakusha-e](/glossary/yakusha-e) conventions are refreshed through psychological observation and refined pictorial atmosphere. Tsukioka Yoshitoshi had begun his apprenticeship under Utagawa Kuniyoshi in the 1850s, and works such as this one trace the long arc of his evolution from the violent muscha-e of his youth to the contemplative grace of his last years. The impression illustrated here is preserved at the Art Institute of Chicago, where catalogue details are available at artic.edu/artworks/102618.
1888
Color woodblock print; oban
n.d.
Color woodblock print
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
The Actor Onoe Kikugoro V as the Priest Sogen (Yuki: Iwakura Sogen Onoe Baiko), from the series "Snow, Moon, and Flowers (Setsugekka no uchi)" was created by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (月岡芳年) in 1890.
Yes — The Actor Onoe Kikugoro V as the Priest Sogen (Yuki: Iwakura Sogen Onoe Baiko), from the series "Snow, Moon, and Flowers (Setsugekka no uchi)" is part of the Snow, Moon, and Flowers (Setsugekka no uchi) series by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi.
The Actor Onoe Kikugoro V as the Priest Sogen (Yuki: Iwakura Sogen Onoe Baiko), from the series "Snow, Moon, and Flowers (Setsugekka no uchi)" depicts birds & flowers, figures, and snow scenes.
