Katsukawa Shunshō, Actor Ichikawa Danjūrō IV, c. 1767-8 | Kislak Collection of Japanese Prints

Artist: Katsukawa Shunshō (1726-1793)

Title: Actor Ichikawa Danjūrō IV in a komuso role

Date: c. 1767-8

Medium: Woodblock print; ink and color on paper

Size: hosoban (33cm x 15cm)

Publisher: Unknown

This print depicts a member of the Ichikawa kabuki acting lineage in the full-length format popularized by Katsukawa Shunshō in the mid-eighteenth century. The figure is identifiable by the mimasu (三升) crest, the three concentric squares visible on the right sleeve of his costume, as Ichikawa Danjūrō. Both Danjūrō IV and his son, the celebrated Danjūrō V, were masters of aragoto, the “rough” performance that became the Ichikawa house style. The swagger of aragoto is expressed through the looming posture and grimacing face of the actor. The bold facial features are characteristic of Shunshō actor prints. In this print the folds of skin around the eyes and jawline may assist us in identifying this figure as the elder Danjūrō IV.

Careful attention is paid to the details of costume. The straw sandals and walking stick indicate that Danjūrō is playing a komuso or mendicant priest role, yet his robes barely conceal a warrior’s armor and double swords, privileges reserved for the samurai classes. It is likely that the character is shown in disguise, a common narrative trope in kabuki.

The Ichikawa family continues to dominate the kabuki stage into the present day. This video shows Danjūrō XII in a hikinuki quick-change sequence, note how his exaggerated movements and facial features echo the bravura expressed in Shunshō’s print almost 250 years ago.