The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of July 20, 2026

A vertically oriented color woodblock print depicts actor Onoe Matsusuke as Usui Sadamitsu, a man with light skin tone and flared dark hair. Lunging forward with a grimace, he extends his right hand and grips a sword hilt with his left. He wears a voluminous red robe with white wheel motifs and a layered top with orange swirls over armored sleeves. Another sword is strapped behind his back. Japanese calligraphy appears at left.

Onoe Matsusuke as Usui Sadamitsu

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.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 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=Onoe Matsusuke as Usui Sadamitsu|url=false|author=Katsukawa Shunzan|year=1781|access-date=20 July 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

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