Actor in Modern Western Clothing, Taishô period, circa 1920-1922
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Publisher:
- Watanabe Shozaburo
- Source:
- Harvard Art Museums
$2,000–$15,000. Kabuki actor portraits are highly collectible. Good actor or bijin-ga prints: $5,000–$10,000. Key value factors: Yamamura's Art Deco-influenced designs are particularly sought after. Kabuki actor prints and bold modern compositions command the highest prices.
Produced during the early 1920s, this woodblock print is an unusual entry in Toyonari's actor portrait series. Rather than depicting a performer in traditional kabuki costume, the subject wears modern Western clothing, reflecting the cultural crosscurrents of Taisho-era Japan when actors increasingly appeared in shimpa (new-school) plays set in contemporary life. The [oban](/glossary/oban)-format composition places the figure against a minimal background, letting the Western suit, collar, and hat carry the visual narrative. Toyonari's clean linework translates the tailored clothing into flat graphic shapes that sit comfortably within the woodblock medium. The print documents an era when kabuki actors were public celebrities whose off-stage personas and modern-drama roles fascinated audiences as much as their classical performances.
1919
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
1920
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper with mica
1920
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper with nikawa and embossing
Woodblock print
歌舞伎
Woodblock print
1955
Woodblock print
1928
Color lithograph
1930
Color lithograph
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Actor in Modern Western Clothing, Taishô period, circa 1920-1922 was created by Yamamura Toyonari (山村豊成).
Actor in Modern Western Clothing, Taishô period, circa 1920-1922 was published by Watanabe Shozaburo.
Actor in Modern Western Clothing, Taishô period, circa 1920-1922 depicts kabuki.