Unidentified Actor as a Kyokaku Standing at the Foot of a Cliff in a Snow Storm 1783 - 1803

This woodblock print by Katsukawa Shun’ei depicts an unidentified actor in the role of a *kyokaku*, a type of swaggering young man popular in Edo-period Japanese theater. The actor, dressed in a checkered *haori* (short jacket) and with a *katana* (sword) hanging from his belt, stands at the foot of a cliff in a snowstorm. The dramatic pose and expressive facial features of the actor are characteristic of *ukiyo-e* woodblock prints, a popular genre in 18th-century Japan. The print, dating from 1783-1803, is now part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection in New York City.