Actor Onoe Shōroku II as Kudō Suketsune
- Date:
- January 1989
- Medium:
- Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
- Dimensions:
- 37.8 × 25.1 cm
- Source:
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
Description
Onoe Shoroku II is captured here as Kudo Suketsune, the historical villain of the Soga Brothers revenge narrative — one of kabuki's foundational storylines. Suketsune murdered the Soga brothers' father, setting in motion a decades-long vendetta that climaxes at the foot of Mount Fuji. As played in kabuki, Suketsune is not a simple villain but an imposing lord whose authority and cunning make the brothers' eventual revenge all the more heroic. This January 1989 print in ink and color renders Shoroku II's interpretation of the role, capturing the character's arrogant bearing and elaborate court costume with the compressed intensity that Kokei's bust-portrait format demands.
More Prints by Tsuruya Kokei
Kataoka Nizaemon XIII as Ishikawa Goemon in the play Sanmon Gosan no Kiri
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The Tayu (High-ranking Courtesan)
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Onoe Baiko VII as Masaoka 七世尾上梅幸の乳人政岡 / Bust portraits VIII (Design 4) 第八期大首絵シリーズの４
Woodblock print
Ichikawa Danshiro IV as Akushichibyoe Kagekiyo
Woodblock print on ganpi paper with mica
More Kabuki Prints
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歌舞伎
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Onoe Shoroku II as the tattooed villain Danshichi
1955
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View of Kabuki Theater from Matsuya (Ginza Matsuya yori Kabukiza), no. 3 from the series "Pictures of Ginza, First Series (Gashu Ginza dai isshu)"
1928
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Distant View of Mitsukoshi Movie Theater in Shinjuku from the Sixth Floor of Hoteiya (Hoteiya rokkai kara Shinjuku Mitsukoshi Musashi no kan enbo zu), no. 1 from the series "Scenery of Shinjuku (Gashu Shinjuku fukei)"
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Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Actor Onoe Shōroku II as Kudō Suketsune was created by Tsuruya Kokei (弦屋光溪) in January 1989.
Actor Onoe Shōroku II as Kudō Suketsune depicts kabuki.
Actor Onoe Shōroku II as Kudō Suketsune measures 37.8 × 25.1 cm.