1805
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Sawamura Gennosuke as Satsuma Gengobei is a 1805 by Utagawa Toyokuni I, a Romanticism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This print shows a man in a black outfit, holding two swords crossed in front of him. His face looks serious, and he’s wearing a belt with a decorative piece. The background is a simple gray with diagonal lines, and the edges have a black border with small fan shapes and swirls. The crossed swords suggest he might be a warrior or actor playing one. The bold black-and-white style is typical of Japanese woodblock prints. Check out Utagawa Toyokuni for more prints like this.
Toyokuni was a born showman who made sure the energy of Edo’s kabuki stage never faded on paper.
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