The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of July 18, 2026

A vertically oriented woodblock print in earth tones depicts a man with light skin tone and arched eyebrows, facing our left. He wears a tan robe patterned with circles over voluminous red trousers with white motifs. His right arm is raised, brandishing a long pole topped with a sword hilt, while his left hand holds a hexagonal lantern. A second sword is tucked into his waist. A vertically paneled screen stands behind.

Ichikawa Monnosuke II as Urabe no Suetake

1781

Katsukawa Shunzan

(Japanese, active c. 1782–98)
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
One of a triptych of color woodblock prints
Sheet: 31 x 14.5 cm (12 3/16 x 5 11/16 in.)
Gift from J. H. Wade 1921.314.a
Location: Not on view

Description

This print is part of a triptych (a composition of three prints) that shows actors portraying three of the four famed protectors of imperial regent Minamoto Yorimitsu (948?–1021). Collectively, they are known as his Shitennō (四天王), or “Four Heavenly Kings,” after the Buddhist deities who guard the four cardinal directions. The characters are indicated by the large house crests on their robes.
  • ?–1921
    (Yamanaka & Co., sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1921–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Japan’s Floating World 日本の浮世. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (April 8-October 9, 2022).
    Japanese Prints from the Museum Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 5-October 28, 1934).
  • {{cite web|title=Ichikawa Monnosuke II as Urabe no Suetake|url=false|author=Katsukawa Shunzan|year=1781|access-date=18 July 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1921.314.a