Actor Onoe Matsusuke IV as Gorōji in Kagatobi

Produced in 1920, this oban print shows Onoe Matsusuke IV as Goroji, the firefighter leader in the play Kagatobi. The ink and color woodblock technique is augmented with nikawa (animal glue sizing) and embossing, giving physical texture to elements like the firefighter's quilted jacket and headband. Kagatobi is a play celebrating the bravery and camaraderie of Edo-period fire brigades, and Goroji is a rough-edged heroic figure. Matsusuke IV's stocky physicality suited such aragoto-adjacent roles, and Toyonari renders the actor with broad, decisive lines that emphasize bulk and strength. The embossing technique is particularly notable: by pressing uninked areas of the paper into relief, the printer created tactile surfaces that catch light differently than the printed areas, adding a sculptural dimension that flat reproduction cannot convey.