Print 1720 - 1740

This print was made by Torii Kiyomasu I around 1715 in Japan, using woodblock printing. It depicts the actor Ichimura Takenojo I in an onstage role. The stylized postures and bold patterns were typical of the Torii school of printmaking, closely associated with the Kabuki theater in Edo period Japan. Kabuki was a relatively new, and often subversive, art form. Emerging in the early 17th century, its exaggerated movements, elaborate costumes, and often scandalous subject matter made it extremely popular with the merchant class. The Tokugawa shogunate, however, viewed Kabuki with suspicion, attempting to regulate its content and even ban female performers. This print, therefore, exists within a complex social and political environment. It reflects not only the aesthetics of Kabuki but also the tensions between artistic expression and social control. To truly understand this print, we need to look at playbills, censorship records, and other documents. It’s through this kind of historical research that the social life of the image is revealed.