Untitled

Torii Kiyonaga

ca. 1790 · Woodblock print; ink and color on paper · Asian Art

The Torii school dominated the production of prints of Kabuki actors in the eighteenth century. The fourth grandmaster of the Torii school, Kiyonaga, copied this image from a print by Torii Kiyonobu II (1706–1763). The poem at the top of the print was inscribed by Danjūrō V, a contemporary of Kiyonaga. As shown here, Danjūrō II (1688–1758) performs the role of Soga Gorō, a portrayal that made him a superstar as a swaggering aragoto actor. The print captures the dramatic moment when Soga Gorō, sharpening an arrow, has a vision of the danger that threatens his elder brother.

Artist

Torii Kiyonaga

Date

ca. 1790

Medium

Woodblock print; ink and color on paper

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1918