Artwork preview

The Second Ichikawa Yaozo as a Samurai

Katsukawa Shunshō 勝川春章

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The image depicts a Japanese man dressed as a samurai. He has fair skin and black hair pulled back into a traditional top knot. The man has red eye makeup around both eyes. He wears a red kimono with gold designs and a purple kimono with rice plant designs over top. The man holds a katana in both hands, pointing down and to the left. The background features a beige wall with horizontal black lines and wooden floorboards at the bottom. The artist's signature is in black ink at the bottom left. The overall color scheme is muted with beige and brown tones dominating the image.

Artwork details

Date:
probably 1773
Medium:
Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
Culture:
Japan
Dimensions:
285 × 623 px
Museum record:
View original
Palette