Memorial Portrait of the Actor Segawa Kikunojo V
- Date:
- 1832
- Medium:
- Color woodblock print; oban
- Format:
- Oban
- Source:
- Art Institute of Chicago
Description
Memorial portraits (shini-e) were produced rapidly after the death of celebrated kabuki actors, commemorating their most acclaimed roles and circulating among grieving fans within days of the loss. This oban print mourns Segawa Kikunojo V, an onnagata (female-role specialist) known for refinement and lyrical grace. Kuniyoshi's 1832 portrait balances the formal solemnity required by the shini-e genre with his characteristic technical precision in rendering costume and gesture.
More Prints by Utagawa Kuniyoshi
Woman as the Hero Taisō in Palanquin Holding a Pipe
c. 1830
Woodblock print (surimono), ink and color on paper
Yan Qing (Roshi Ensei), from the series "One Hundred and Eight Heroes of the Popular Water Margin (Tsuzoku Suikoden goketsu hyakuhachinin no hitori)"
Poem by Abe no Nakamaro, from an untitled series of One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets
Hu Sanniang (Ko Sanjo Ichijosei), from the series "One Hundred and Eight Heroes of the Popular Water Margin (Tsuzoku Suikoden goketsu hyakuhachinin no hitori)"
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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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Frequently Asked Questions
Memorial Portrait of the Actor Segawa Kikunojo V was created by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (歌川国芳) in 1832.
Memorial Portrait of the Actor Segawa Kikunojo V depicts kabuki and portraits.