Actors as Samurai
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Source:
- Art Gallery of Greater Victoria
Typical Price
- Fine condition warrior print with strong impression: $1,000–$5,000
Depicting kabuki actors in the roles of samurai, this print bridges Kuniyoshi's celebrated warrior-print tradition with his yakusha-e output. The martial bearing and elaborate armour recall his Suikoden heroes, while the portraits remain recognizable likenesses of specific performers. The composition speaks to the deep entanglement of warrior legend and kabuki theatre in late Edo popular culture, where fictional heroes from history and fiction were constantly refracted through stage interpretation.
Woodblock print
c. 1828/30
Color woodblock print; surimono
Woodblock print
Woodblock print
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Actors as Samurai was created by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (歌川国芳).
Actors as Samurai depicts warriors.