The Second Yamashito Kinsaku as a Courtesan Standing in a Room

Description

Katsukawa Shunshō gives Yamashita Kinsaku II’s courtesan role a tall, flowing presence beside a gridded sliding screen. A broad pale patterned sleeve falls around the figure, turning cloth into a substantial part of the composition. The upright stance contrasts with the soft drapery, giving the image a held theatrical elegance.

Dated around 1779, this ink-and-color woodblock print belongs to Edo-period Japan. The portrait preserves a moment in which actor, costume and role become inseparable for the audience, while the title allows their identities to remain distinct for the viewer. Shunshō’s subject is therefore both an individual performer and an act of representation. The image invites a closer consideration of how the stage can make a different person convincingly present.

Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the Katsukawa Shunshō collection.