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二代目市川八百藏・二代目中島三甫右衛門・三代目市川海老藏・九代目市村羽左衛門|Kabuki Actors Ichikawa Yaozō II, Nakajima Mihoemon II, Ichikawa Ebizō III, and Ichimura Uzaemon IX in the Play Sugawara’s Secrets of Calligraphy (Sugawara denju tenarai kagami)

Katsukawa Shunshō

ink

paper

From the collection of Metropolitan Museum of Art

Romanticism Classical Antiquity Actor

Dominant colour

二代目市川八百藏・二代目中島三甫右衛門・三代目市川海老藏・九代目市村羽左衛門|Kabuki Actors Ichikawa Yaozō II, Nakajima Mihoemon II, Ichikawa Ebizō III, and Ichimura Uzaemon IX in the Play Sugawara’s Secrets of Calligraphy (Sugawara denju tenarai kagami) is a 7 ink by Katsukawa Shunshō, a Romanticism work, depicting Actor, held at Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Katsukawa Shunshō
When & what style?: 7 · Romanticism
Where can I see it?: Metropolitan Museum of Art

About this work

This print shows four kabuki actors in a dramatic scene. One man holds a sword, another kneels with a child, a third plays a stringed instrument, and the fourth gestures wildly with a fan. The background is a chaotic mix of trees, buildings, and swirling lines. Notice how the artist uses bold black outlines and flat colors to make the figures stand out. The action looks urgent, like a pivotal moment in a story. Check out cross-hatching to see how artists create shading with lines.