Ichikawa Danjūrō II (?) Performing Shibaraku in the Ichimura Theater
Torii Kiyotada Japanese
Not on view
On the runway to the stage, the actor Ichikawa Danjūrō appears just before striding forward to save the day, shouting "Shibaraku!" ("Wait a moment!") in a bravado role he created. Kiyotada employed the technique of two-point perspective to show the interior of the theater.
Early Kabuki performances were all-day affairs before audiences who ate, drank, and gossiped while awaiting the entrance of favorite actors, who struck their famous poses.
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