Actor Onoe Matsusuke IV as Gorōji in Kagatobi
- Date:
- 1920
- Medium:
- Woodblock print, ink and color on paper with nikawa and embossing
- Format:
- Oban
- Dimensions:
- 39.5 × 27.3 cm
- Publisher:
- Watanabe Shozaburo
- Source:
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
$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 in 1920, this [oban](/glossary/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.
1919
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Woodblock print
1920
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper with mica
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Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Actor Onoe Matsusuke IV as Gorōji in Kagatobi was created by Yamamura Toyonari (山村豊成) in 1920.
Actor Onoe Matsusuke IV as Gorōji in Kagatobi was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (1920).
Actor Onoe Matsusuke IV as Gorōji in Kagatobi depicts kabuki.
Actor Onoe Matsusuke IV as Gorōji in Kagatobi measures 39.5 × 27.3 cm (Oban format).