The Actor Matsumoto Koshiro V as Takechi Mitsuhide

Maker(s)
Artist: Utagawa Kunisada 歌川国貞 (1786-1865)
Historical period(s)
Edo period, 1823
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
H x W (overall): 37.3 x 24.7 cm (14 11/16 x 9 3/4 in)
Geography
Japan
Credit Line
The Anne van Biema Collection
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Accession Number
S2004.3.131
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Print
Type

Woodblock print

Keywords
actor, Anne van Biema collection, battledore, Edo period (1615 - 1868), Japan, ukiyo-e
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Label

Kunisada's portrait of Matsumoto Koshiro V is composed as if it were a cloth picture, a kind of collage applied to a battledore (a wooden paddle used to play a badminton-like game). Such decorated battledores were sold at Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines at the New Year. This print commemorates Koshiro's 1817 performance as the warrior Takechi Mitsuhide in a period play loosely based on events of the late sixteenth century, when several powerful warriors vied for control of Japan. Published in 1823, it is one of a series of portraits in this format.

Published References
  • Ann Yonemura, et al. Masterful Illusions: Japanese Prints from the Anne van Biema Collection. Seattle and Washington. cat. 37, pp. 126-127.
Collection Area(s)
Japanese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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