Ichikawa Danjürö V as Ikyü, Nakamura Rikö I as Agemaki and Ichikawa Yaozö III as Sukeroku

Catalog note / 解説

As a pupil of Katsukawa Shunshö and a member of the Katsukawa School of printmaking, it is no surprise that Shunkö specialized in yakusha-e, or "likeness prints" of Kabuki actors. Many of his prints are considered to be equal to those of his master Shunshö, the pioneer of yakusha-e. (For a closer comparison, see The Onnagata Actor Nakamura Rikö I as Agemaki with Two Attendants, on view in the Japan Gallery.) In the late 1780s, the artist lost the use of his right arm, leading to the creation of his own distinctive style- a "close-up" portrait style known as ökubi-e (large head pictures). In this print, Shunkö has portrayed three famous Kabuki actors as Sukeroku's main characters, Sukeroku,…