The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 23, 2024
Onoe Matsusuke as Usui Sadamitsu
1781
(Japanese, active c. 1782–98)
Sheet: 31 x 14.5 cm (12 3/16 x 5 11/16 in.)
Gift from J. H. Wade 1921.314.b
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. The actor Onoe Matsusuke I’s identity is revealed by a fan with the ideograph matsu (松), or “pine,” tucked into his robe, just against his breastplate.- ?–1921(Yamanaka & Co., sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)1921–The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Japan's Floating World (Japanese art rotation) 235. 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=Onoe Matsusuke as Usui Sadamitsu|url=false|author=Katsukawa Shunzan|year=1781|access-date=23 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1921.314.b