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 connects Ichikawa Yaozō II, Nakajima Mihoemon II, Ichikawa Ebizō III and Ichimura Uzaemon IX in Katsukawa Shunshō’s theatrical scene. The displayed composite shows the full multi-actor interior scene, with a seated figure near the center and other performers gesturing around it. Their shared setting connects the sheets, allowing the theatrical encounter to be understood through an ensemble rather than a single isolated panel.

Dated to the seventh month of 1776, the nishiki-e composition uses ink and color on paper. The displayed triptych places several performers within a shared interior, where their gestures create relationships across the wider field. Shunshō gives the theatrical scene a durable presence without losing the individuality of its participants. The image’s appeal lies in that ensemble, allowing a seated figure and the actors around it to contribute to one coherent dramatic encounter.

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