Actors Ichikawa Danjūrō IV as Yakko Yodohei and Nakamura Utaemon I as the Monk Kiyomizu no Seigen

Description

Katsukawa Shunshō brings Ichikawa Danjūrō IV’s servant Yodohei and Nakamura Utaemon I’s monk Seigen into a rain-darkened encounter. Diagonal rain lines pass behind an upper standing figure and a lower crouching companion. Their elaborate robes remain distinct within the dim setting, making the difference in bodily positions the scene’s central structure.

Dated to the third month of 1769, the work was produced in ink and color on paper. Its meaning depends on the relationship between the represented figures, rather than on an isolated likeness. Shunshō keeps the actors’ names connected to the parts they perform, preserving both individuality and dramatic identity. The print offers a concise record of two people becoming two characters within a shared stage world.

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