Description
Matsumoto Kōshirō III stands as a samurai in this actor print by Katsukawa Shunshō. A black-robed samurai bends an arm above the head beneath a twisting tree, with a striped lower garment against a dark green setting. The raised gesture interrupts the figure’s vertical weight, allowing the costume and branches to give the stance an emphatic rhythm.
Dated to 1769 or 1770, the nishiki-e print was made with ink and color on paper. Shunshō preserves a theatrical guise in a form that can outlast the performance itself. The image invites recognition of both actor and role, allowing their meeting to remain central rather than treating the warrior as a general symbol. Its appeal lies in the individuality of that embodiment, where a familiar type acquires the presence of a named interpreter.
Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the Katsukawa Shunshō collection.
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