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

In this image from Sugawara’s Secrets of Calligraphy, Katsukawa Shunshō arranges several actors around a seated central figure. The represented view extends across a full three-part design, making the ensemble and the exchange of positions more important than a solitary likeness. Contrasting standing and seated bodies create a theatrical gathering in which each performer contributes to a larger scene.

Dated to the seventh month of 1776, the ink-and-color design belongs to a triptych connected with Ichikawa Yaozō II, Nakajima Mihoemon II, Ichikawa Ebizō III and Ichimura Uzaemon IX. Their names anchor the work to individual stage careers, while the play supplies the shared dramatic world. Shunshō’s extended arrangement gives the eye room to move between performers, preserving theater through a scene that depends on relationships as well as individual presence.

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