The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 25, 2024
Ichikawa Danjuro VII as Kan Shojo in the Mt. Tenpai Scene, from the series Famous Kabuki Plays
1814
(Japanese, 1786–1865)
Overall: 38 x 25.9 cm (14 15/16 x 10 3/16 in.)
Location: not on view
Description
Here, the actor plays the role of an exiled statesman, transforming himself into a vengeful thunder god. The red-and-white make-up style—kumadori, or "shadow painting"—is characteristic of the aragoto manner of portraying heroic roles. The crossed eyes and clenched mouth—in this role a plum blossom branch is added—demonstrates the conventional mie pose used by Kabuki actors to express intense emotion at the most dramatic moment in the play. The audience applauds the actor’s ability to hold this pose, influenced by the stylized movements of the puppets in the famous Bunraku theater. This sensational transformation of the hero is the high point of the scene.- ?-1985The Kelvin Smith Collection, Cleveland, OH, ?-1985, given by Mrs. Kelvin [Eleanor Armstrong] Smith [1899-1998] to the Cleveland Museum of Art1985-The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH, -present
- Visions of Japan: Prints and Paintings from Cleveland Collections. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 12, 2004-April 10, 2005).A Private World: Japanese and Chinese Art from the Kelvin Smith Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 14-November 13, 1988).
- {{cite web|title=Ichikawa Danjuro VII as Kan Shojo in the Mt. Tenpai Scene, from the series Famous Kabuki Plays|url=false|author=Utagawa Kunisada|year=1814|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1985.333