Item from the Mokuhankan Flea Market

The Actor Ichikawa Danjuro

Size: 38.5cm by 25.0cm (15.16 in by 9.84 in) | Enlargement | Shipping Code: [L] ?

Designer: Utagawa Toyokuni

Era: Pre-war | Currency: $ / £ / €

Price: ¥ 20,000$ 145.00£ 110.00€ 125.00 [Item has been sold]

Description: This striking print depicts Ichikawa Danjūrō VI as a young nobleman, from an untitled series of half-length actor portraits.

The portrait highlights a dramatic kabuki pose, featuring the bold kumadori makeup associated with heroic roles. The vivid red lines—symbolizing youthful vigor, and righteous anger—resemble pulsating blood vessels and straining muscles, visually amplifying the character’s emotional intensity. The actor’s exaggerated expression is further intensified by the nirami (“crossed-eyes”) glare, a powerful convention in kabuki performance that heightens dramatic tension.

He wears an elegant robe adorned with koi carp swimming upstream — a traditional symbol of perseverance and strength. His family crest, composed of a red square surrounded by three smaller squares (mimasu), is prominently displayed, reinforcing both identity and lineage.

Through dynamic composition and bold contrasts, Utagawa Toyokuni achieves a portrait that is at once powerful and refined, capturing both the theatrical grandeur of kabuki and the graphic sophistication of ukiyo-e portraiture.

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