Actor Onoe Matsusuke IV as Gorōji in Kagatobi 1920
yamamuratoyonari
minneapolisinstituteofart
woodblock-print, print
cartoon like
woodblock-print
cartoon based
caricature
japan
animal drawing portrait
portrait drawing
watercolour illustration
cartoon style
portrait art
fine art portrait
celebrity portrait
"Actor Onoe Matsusuke IV as Gorōji in Kagatobi" is a woodblock print by the Japanese artist Yamamura Toyonari. Created in 1920, the artwork depicts the kabuki actor Onoe Matsusuke IV in a traditional costume, showcasing the distinctive makeup and stylized expressions associated with kabuki theater. The print's composition, with its close-up portrait and minimal background, focuses attention on the actor's expressive face and the details of the costume, capturing the essence of a kabuki performance. The image is a fine example of the *yakusha-e* genre, woodblock prints that depict actors in specific roles.
Comments
Third design in a set of twelve. Based on Onoe Matsusuke IV (1843-1928) as Kaminari Gorōji in the scene Yushima Tenjin chaya no mae of the play Mekuranagaya ume ga kagatobi 盲長屋梅加賀鳶 湯島天神茶店の前 (Plum Blossom Kaga Firemen and the Living Quarters for the Blind), performed at the Imperial Theater, June 1919. Matsusuke IV had also played this role at the premier of this play in March 1886 at Tokyo's Chitose Theater. Like his predecessors in ukiyo-e, Kōka conveyed the likeness of the actor as well as the character portrayed—thus suggesting the actor’s stage presence. Kōka based his actor prints on so-called bromides (buromaido), photos of actors sold to fans at performances, a practice that seems to have started as early as the 1880s and still exists today at the Kabuki Theater.
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