Kabuki Actors Ichimura Uzaemon IX as Ko-kakeyama and Ōtani Hiroji III as Kōga Saburō

Description

Ichimura Uzaemon IX appears as Ko-kakeyama alongside Ōtani Hiroji III as Kōga Saburō, bringing two performers and two dramatic identities into a shared image. The figures occupy bent, dynamic poses on a rocky hillside beneath trees, with pale robes against an orange-toned cliff. Their shared setting makes the encounter feel active, joining individual stage identities to a landscape whose uneven forms support the drama.

Created around 1771, the nishiki-e woodblock print uses ink and color on paper. Its appeal lies in the relationship between separate stage presences within one composition, where each actor remains identifiable while contributing to the same dramatic world. Katsukawa Shunshō preserves that combination of individuality and ensemble. The work invites consideration of performance as an exchange, making the presence of one character meaningful through its connection with another.

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