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Portrait of the Actor Ichikawa Monnosuke as Date no Yosaku
recto overall
recto overall

Portrait of the Actor Ichikawa Monnosuke as Date no Yosaku

Original Language Title二代市川門之助の伊達の与作
Artist Toshusai Sharaku (Japanese, active 1794 - 1795)
Dateca. 1794
MediumWoodblock print (nishiki-e); ink, color, and mica on paper
DimensionsOverall (oban): 14 7/8 × 9 7/8 inches (37.78 × 25.08 cm)
Credit LinePurchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust
Object number32-143/153
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DescriptionOban Nishiki-e with mica background. This print was produced for the occasion of the play "Koinōbō Somewake Tazuna," performed in the 5th month, 1794 at the Kawarazakiza, a theater in Edo (present day Tokyo).Gallery Label
Tōshūsai Sharaku abruptly quit making bust-length portraits of Kabuki actors less than a year after his debut in 1794. One theory of his sudden disappearance during the height of actor portrait popularity is that his style emphasized the actors’ physical features in a caricature-like manner. His unflattering portraits might have negatively impacted the way an actor was perceived as a character while on stage. For example, the image of Iwai Hanshirō IV in the middle captures the actor’s masculine traits like his thick neck and pronounced jaw. However, he is supposed to be portraying a woman with a slim body and soft facial features, a beauty trend valued in late 1790s Japan.
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