Katsukawa Shunshō (1726–1793) was the founder of the Katsukawa school and one of the most consequential designers of yakusha-e, the kabuki actor print. Working in Edo from the 1760s onward, he replaced the stylised, interchangeable actor figures of earlier schools with sharply observed individual portraits, recording the features of named performers as they appeared on stage. This sheet shows the female-role specialist Segawa Yūjirō I in the part of Matsukaze, identified in the cartouche as the sister of Togashi no Saemon, a kabuki role drawn from the Noh play Ataka and its later Kanjinchō tradition.
The print is a colour woodblock (nishiki-e), produced by carving a separate block for each colour and aligning them by hand. Shunshō builds the figure through long, calm contour lines and broad areas of pattern: the kimono is treated as a flat field of textile ornament against the unmarked ground, with the actor's name placed in a vertical title slip. The stage character o . . . Read More >>
Katsukawa Shunshō (1726–1793) was the founder of the Katsukawa school and one of the most consequential designers of yakusha-e, the kabuki actor print. Working in Edo from the 1760s onward, he replaced the stylised, interchangeable actor figures of earlier schools with sharply observed individual portraits, recording the features of named performers as they appeared on stage. This sheet shows the female-role specialist Segawa Yūjirō I in the part of Matsukaze, identified in the cartouche as the sister of Togashi no Saemon, a kabuki role drawn from the Noh play Ataka and its later Kanjinchō tradition.
The print is a colour woodblock (nishiki-e), produced by carving a separate block for each colour and aligning them by hand. Shunshō builds the figure through long, calm contour lines and broad areas of pattern: the kimono is treated as a flat field of textile ornament against the unmarked ground, with the actor's name placed in a vertical title slip. The stage character of an onnagata role — a male actor inhabiting a female part — is carried in the angle of the head, the half-turn of the body and the placement of the hands rather than in physiognomic detail.
Hung at eye level the sheet rewards close looking. It sits well in a study, a reading corner or a hallway where its quiet vertical format and restrained palette can be read against pale walls. Paired with another Edo-period figure print or with a single hanging scroll of calligraphy, it brings a small piece of the late-eighteenth-century kabuki theatre into the room without dominating it.
Available as a poster on archival fine-art paper, as a framed picture behind shatter-resistant acrylic glazing, or as a print on satin-coated cotton canvas stretched and ready to hang.
Frequently asked questions
Who designed this print and when?
It was designed by Katsukawa Shunshō (1726–1793), the founder of the Katsukawa school of actor prints, in the second half of the eighteenth century in Edo.
Who is depicted?
The onnagata actor Segawa Yūjirō I, in the kabuki role of Matsukaze, described in the title as the sister of Togashi no Saemon — a character drawn from the Noh play Ataka and the kabuki tradition that became Kanjinchō.
What is a yakusha-e?
A yakusha-e is a woodblock actor print, a major branch of ukiyo-e. Shunshō is credited with turning the genre from a stylised type-portrait into a recognisable likeness of a named performer.
Where does this print look at home?
In a study, a reading corner, a quiet hallway, or anywhere with restrained light. Its narrow vertical format pairs well with a single hanging scroll or another small Edo-period figure sheet.
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Japan historical period: Edo 江戸 (1603-1868)
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