Ichikawa Ebijūrō II as Horiguchi Manzaemon from the Kabuki Play "Eight Views of the Kizu River by Boating Song"

Ichikawa Ebijūrō II as Horiguchi Manzaemon from the Kabuki Play "Eight Views of the Kizu River by Boating Song"

Shunshosai Hokucho, 1829

Download2412 × 3400 px View on a wall Edit

Artist: Shunshosai Hokucho (Japanese)
Medium: Right print from a triptych of color woodblock prints
Size: 36.2 x 76 cm (14 1/4 x 29 15/16 in.)
Culture: Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
Museum: Cleveland Museum of Art
Rights: CC0 — no rights reserved

Three prints form a continuous scene from a Kabuki play written in 1778 by Namiki Gohei I (1747–1808) and produced at the Kado Theater in Osaka in the summer of 1829. It was the final performance for actor Ichikawa Ebijūrō II (1806–1829; right)—highly regarded for portraying villains—because he got sick and died several months later.

This design belongs to a category of Japanese prints called “actor images” (yakusha-e or 役者絵). They were collected by fans of popular Kabuki actors. Kabuki is a kind of entertainment that got its start in the early Edo period, evolving from dance performances with simple storylines to long plays with complex plots, elaborate sets, and full musical accompaniments. Performers wear showy costumes and heavy makeup and strike poses called mie at critical moments in the narrative. Dialogue is spoken in a stylized way that resembles singing.

More by Shunshosai Hokucho

Arashi Rikan II as Kizu Kansuke and Nakayama Bunshichi III as Hayashi Sanzemon from the Kabuki Play "Eight Views of the Kizu River by Boating Song"

Arashi Rikan II as Kizu Kansuke and Nakayama Bunshichi III as Hayashi Sanzemon from the Kabuki Play "Eight Views of the Kizu River by Boating Song"

Shunshosai Hokucho, 1829

Asao Gakujurō as the Ferryman Sanjūrō from the Kabuki Play "Eight Views of the Kizu River by Boating Song"

Asao Gakujurō as the Ferryman Sanjūrō from the Kabuki Play "Eight Views of the Kizu River by Boating Song"

Shunshosai Hokucho, 1829

Ichikawa Ebijūrō II as Horiguchi Manzaemon (right), Arashi Rikan II as Kizu Kansuke, Nakayama Bunshichi III as Hayashi Sanzemon (center), and Asao Gakujurō as the Ferryman Sanjūrō (left) from the Kabuki Play "Eight Views of the Kizu River by Boating Song"

Ichikawa Ebijūrō II as Horiguchi Manzaemon (right), Arashi Rikan II as Kizu Kansuke, Nakayama Bunshichi III as Hayashi Sanzemon (center), and Asao Gakujurō as the Ferryman Sanjūrō (left) from the Kabuki Play "Eight Views of the Kizu River by Boating Song"

Shunshosai Hokucho, 1829

Visually similar

Asao Gakujurō as the Ferryman Sanjūrō from the Kabuki Play "Eight Views of the Kizu River by Boating Song"

Asao Gakujurō as the Ferryman Sanjūrō from the Kabuki Play "Eight Views of the Kizu River by Boating Song"

Shunshosai Hokucho, 1829

Actors Ichikawa Omezō and Bandō Mitsugorō II

Actors Ichikawa Omezō and Bandō Mitsugorō II

Utagawa Toyokuni I, 1798, 5th lunar month

Nakamura Utaemon IV as Ono Sadakuro in Act Five of Kanadehon Chushingura, Naka Theater

Nakamura Utaemon IV as Ono Sadakuro in Act Five of Kanadehon Chushingura, Naka Theater

Utagawa Sadamasu, 1838

Arashi Rikan II as Kizu Kansuke and Nakayama Bunshichi III as Hayashi Sanzemon from the Kabuki Play "Eight Views of the Kizu River by Boating Song"

Arashi Rikan II as Kizu Kansuke and Nakayama Bunshichi III as Hayashi Sanzemon from the Kabuki Play "Eight Views of the Kizu River by Boating Song"

Shunshosai Hokucho, 1829

Twee samoerai

Utagawa Toyokuni I, c. 1794 - c. 1800

Ichikawa Ebijūrō II as Horiguchi Manzaemon (right), Arashi Rikan II as Kizu Kansuke, Nakayama Bunshichi III as Hayashi Sanzemon (center), and Asao Gakujurō as the Ferryman Sanjūrō (left) from the Kabuki Play "Eight Views of the Kizu River by Boating Song"

Ichikawa Ebijūrō II as Horiguchi Manzaemon (right), Arashi Rikan II as Kizu Kansuke, Nakayama Bunshichi III as Hayashi Sanzemon (center), and Asao Gakujurō as the Ferryman Sanjūrō (left) from the Kabuki Play "Eight Views of the Kizu River by Boating Song"

Shunshosai Hokucho, 1829

Ichikawa Ebizo V

Ichikawa Ebizo V

Utagawa Kunisada, c. 1835 - c. 1839

Soga Jūrō Sukenari and Soga Gorō Tokimune

Soga Jūrō Sukenari and Soga Gorō Tokimune

Yoshitoshi, 1872–73

Highway robber Sadakurô wiping his sword

Highway robber Sadakurô wiping his sword

Utagawa Kuniyoshi, in or after 1847 - in or before 1850

Morikawa Bakoku; Azekura Jūshirō and Hinotama no Sangorō

Morikawa Bakoku; Azekura Jūshirō and Hinotama no Sangorō

Yoshitoshi, 1867, 9th lunar month

Gosho Gorozo Battling a Shadow

Gosho Gorozo Battling a Shadow

Yoshitoshi, 1866

Ghost tormenting Orikoshi Tairyô

Ghost tormenting Orikoshi Tairyô

Utagawa Kuniyoshi, 1851