The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 21, 2025
Ichikawa Ebizō IV (Danjurō) as Takemura Sadanoshin in The Loving Wife's Parti-Colored Reins
1794
(Japanese, active 1794–95)
36 x 23.6 cm (14 3/16 x 9 5/16 in.)
Bequest of Edward L. Whittemore 1930.205
Location: 235A Japanese
Did You Know?
A member of the famous Ichikawa acting family, Ebizo IV is recognized here by his family crest of three nested boxes, visible on his robes.Description
Ichikawa Ebizō IV’s (1741–1806) character, an actor called Takemura Sadanoshin, is permitted to perform opposite his daughter so he can see and hear her for the last time before her banishment for a forbidden love affair.This design belongs to a category of Japanese prints called “actor images” (yakusha-e or 役者絵). They were collected by fans of popular Kabuki actors. Kabuki is a kind of entertainment that got its start in the early Edo period, evolving from dance performances with simple storylines to long plays with complex plots, elaborate sets, and full musical accompaniments. Performers wear showy costumes and heavy makeup and strike poses called mie at critical moments in the narrative. Dialogue is spoken in a stylized way that resembles singing.
- (Yamanaka & Co., New York, NY, sold to Edward Loder Whittemore)?–1930Edward Loder Whittemore [1862–1930], Cleveland, OH, bequest to the Cleveland Museum of Art1930–The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Howard Conley Hollis. "The Edward Loder Whittemore Collection of Japanese Prints." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 17, no. 4 (April 1930): pp. 64-66. Mentioned: pp. 64-66 www.jstor.org
- Highlights of Japanese Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 7, 2025-June 14, 2026).Visions of Japan: Prints and Paintings from Cleveland Collections. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 12, 2004-April 10, 2005).Transformations in Japanese Printmaking. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 25-December 30, 1984).Ukiyo-e: Floating World. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (June 11-September 2, 1973).Ways of Drawing Faces. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 1, 1944-January 31, 1945).Japanese Prints from the Museum Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 5-October 28, 1934).
- {{cite web|title=Ichikawa Ebizō IV (Danjurō) as Takemura Sadanoshin in The Loving Wife's Parti-Colored Reins|url=false|author=Tōshūsai Sharaku|year=1794|access-date=21 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1930.205