kabuki-e　歌舞伎絵

KEY WORD :　art history / paintings

Also shibai-e 芝居絵 and geki-e 劇画. Includes kabuki gekijou-zu 歌舞伎劇場図 and *yakusha-e 役者絵. Paintings or prints related to the *kabuki 歌舞伎 theater. When kabuki was in its formative stages in the early 17c most of the pictorial representations were scenes of daily life which included depictions of kabuki performances, kabuki fuuzoku-zu 歌舞伎風俗図. Among the earliest kabuki prints are those by Hishikawa Moronobu 菱川師宣 (c.1618-94) published between 1672-89. Actor prints yakusha-e focus on close-ups of the actors and contributed to the rapid development of more general kabuki-e by Torii Kiyonobu 鳥居清信 (1664-1729) and Kiyomasu 清倍 (fl.c.1696-1716). In the early 18c, Okumura Masanobu 奥村政信 (1686-1764), Nishimura Shigenaga 西村重長 (1697?-1756) and Toshinobu 利信 (fl.c. 1717-50) inherited this print tradition and in the mid-century Torii Kiyomitsu 鳥居清満 (1735-85) produced many kabuki-e. Between 1736-44, perspective prints *uki-e 浮絵 came into vogue and the technique was used to focus on the kabuki stage itself butai-zu 舞台図. Along with actor prints, prints of the kabuki stage became one of the two most popular subjects. Around 1764-72, actor-likeness portraits yakusha nigao-e 役者似顔絵 were popularized by Ippitsusai Bunchou 一筆斎文調 (act. 1760 -1800), significantly changing the current style of actor prints. Between 1781-1801, kabuki-e changed again with Katsukawa Shunshou 勝川春章 (1726-92) and others depicting the everyday lives of actors. Torii Kiyonaga 鳥居清長 (1752-1815) produced degatari-zu 出語り図 prints which included dancers and the reciter. Katsukawa Shunkou 勝川春好 (1743-1812) popularized bust portraits *ookubi-e 大首絵 of kabuki actors. Prints by Toushuusai Sharaku 東洲斎写楽 (act. ca 1794), with their wittily exaggerated facial features, represent the high-point of this genre. Utagawa Toyokuni 歌川豊国 (1769-1825) dominated the scene in the early 19c with his prints of actors both in stage roles and in private life. Kunisada 国貞 (1786-1864) was the next dominant artist of actor prints, but by the mid-19c the style had hardened into a fixed pattern. The last notable designer of actor prints was Kunichika 国周 (1835-1900). In the Kyoto-Osaka area, there was a lull in kabuki-related print production after the early genre paintings of the 17c, but in the late 18c, influenced by the actor-likeness portraits that were popular in Edo, books of actor prints *yakusha ehon 役者絵本 were published in Osaka. This led to a revival of their popularity, spearheaded by Ryuukousai Jokei 流光斎如圭 (fl.1772-1816) and Shoukousai Hanbee 松好斎半兵衛 (fl.1795-1809). In the early 19c, Shunkousai Hokushuu 春好斎北洲 (fl.c.1808-32) and Asayama Ashikuni 浅山芦国 (c.1775/9-1818), followed by Shunkousai Hokuei 春江斎北英 (fl.1829-37) and Yamaguchi Shigeharu 山口重春 (1803-53) were the last great producers of actor prints in Osaka. After Tenpou 天保 era (1830-44), actor prints were mass produced with few stylistic changes. Kabuki prints produced after the 17c can be divided into two categories: actor prints; and theater prints. Actor prints can be further divided into two categories: likeness portraits and prints of actors before likeness portraits. Likeness portraits include the following categories: 1) bust portraits ookubi-e; 2) full-length portraits zenshin-zu 全身図; 3) scenes inside dressing rooms; 4) parody pictures *mitate-e 見立絵; 5) death portraits *shini-e 死絵. Theater prints may be sub-divided into: 1) stage prints butai-zu; 2) genre paintings in dressing rooms gakuya fuuzoku-zu 楽屋風俗図; 3) prints of the entertainment districts. Prints of reciters degatari-zu fall into both categories.

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