The Actor Nakamura Sen'ya as Tokonatsu in the Kabuki Play, "The Legacy of the Three-Comma Family Crest Revealed" (Mitsudomoe katoku-biraki)
A successor of Kiyonobu, Kiyomasu carried on the Torii tradition of theatrical print production. Based on a scene from the "The Legacy of the Three-Comma Family Crest Revealed" (Mitsudomoe Katoku-biraki 三巴家督開), performed at the Nakamura Theater, the actor Nakamura Senya portrays a woman walking under an open umbrella who has turned to look at an old plum tree in blossom. Kiyomasu's style captures the vibrancy of his master's line, but it is equally attentive to the restrained elegance of the Kaigetsudō masters. His graceful subject is ornamented by the hand-applied color patterning in the robe and vibrantly striated umbrella, which suggests a great awareness of the role of color in the overall composition.
Other impressions of this actor print are in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and Honolulu Academy of Arts.
Other impressions of this actor print are in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and Honolulu Academy of Arts.
Artwork Details
- 鳥居清倍画 樋口女房常夏 「京四条下り 中村千弥」
- Title: The Actor Nakamura Sen'ya as Tokonatsu in the Kabuki Play, "The Legacy of the Three-Comma Family Crest Revealed" (Mitsudomoe katoku-biraki)
- Artist: Torii Kiyomasu I (Japanese, active 1696–1716)
- Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
- Date: ca. 1716 (Shōtoku 6/Kyōhō 1), 11th month
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Woodblock print (tan-e); ink and color on paper
- Dimensions: Vertical ō-ōban; 23 1/4 x 12 1/4 in. (59.1 x 31.1 cm)
- Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund and Rogers Fund, 1949
- Object Number: JP3100
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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Torii Kiyomasu I (Japanese, active 1696–1716)
ca. 1748
Torii Kiyomasu I (Japanese, active 1696–1716)
dated 1749
Torii Kiyomasu I (Japanese, active 1696–1716)
ca. 1748
Torii Kiyomasu I (Japanese, active 1696–1716)
5th month, 1736
Torii Kiyomasu I (Japanese, active 1696–1716)
ca. 1750
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