Description
In this image of Ichikawa Yaozō II as a wrestler, Katsukawa Shunshō places two wrestler figures before a large dark hanging cloth. One stands upright while the other crouches on bent knees, their bare upper bodies giving the contrast of positions a direct physical force. Ichikawa Yaozō II is identified in the principal wrestling role, but the second performer remains unnamed in the supplied title.
Dated 1770, the ink-and-color woodblock print brings a physical character type into the world of Kabuki representation. The standing figure can be understood as a moment before or between actions, with no need to invent a specific bout. Shunshō preserves the distinction between the actor and the wrestler he becomes. That relationship makes the image a study of assumed strength and public presentation as well as an individual portrait.
Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the Katsukawa Shunshō collection.
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