Utagawa Toyokuni (Toyokuni I): Actor Ichikawa Dannosuke III

Colour woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper, vertical oban (oban tate-e), 39 x 26,5 cm. Slightly worn at the edges; hole in paper at the bottom left.

 

The print depicts a scene from a kabuki play with the actor Ichikawa Dannosuke III, who held this name from 1800 to the 11th lunar month of 1817, playing a samurai. 

 

Kabuki (歌舞伎?) is a classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.

 

 

Utagawa Toyokuni (Japanese: 歌川豐國; 1769 in Edo – 24 February 1825 in Edo), also often referred to as Toyokuni I, to distinguish him from the members of his schoolwho took over his gō (art-name) after he died, was a great master of ukiyo-e, known in particular for his kabuki actor prints.