Kabuki Actors Ichikawa Yaozō II, Nakajima Mihoemon II, Ichikawa Ebizō III, and Ichimura Uzaemon IX in the Play Sugawara’s Secrets of Calligraphy (Sugawara denju tenarai kagami)

Description

Sugawara’s Secrets of Calligraphy brings together Ichikawa Yaozō II, Nakajima Mihoemon II, Ichikawa Ebizō III and Ichimura Uzaemon IX in this sheet by Katsukawa Shunshō. The displayed composite shows a crowded multi-actor interior, with a seated figure near the center front and standing, gesturing figures to either side. Screens and a green floor connect their positions, giving the triptych an ensemble rhythm rather than the isolation of a single portrait.

Dated to the seventh month of 1776, the original nishiki-e composition uses ink and color on paper. The displayed multi-sheet scene gives its participants relationships across an extended field, making the image more than a solitary actor portrait. Shunshō preserves individual recognition within that wider arrangement. Its appeal lies in the combination of seated and standing presences, where the drama is carried through the company as well as through any single performer.

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