俳優三階興 (Yakusha sangai kyo, Teachings on the Living Images of Actors)
Alternative title: Amusements of Actors on the Third Floor
Shikitei Sanba, author
Toyokuni I Utagawa, woodblock illustrations
Nishinomiya Shinroku, printer
1801 CE (Kansei 13 [first month]), Edo, Tokugawa Shogunate (present-day Tokyo, Japan) Polychrome woodblock-printed books, 2 volumes; ink and color on paper
Intimate glimpses into celebrity life, these exquisitely illustrated texts were produced by a great master of ukiyo-e printmaking, Toyokuni I Utagawa. Toyokuni was known for his portraits of kabuki theater artists, called yakusha-e, but these two volumes offer a different format in a collaboration with the comic writer Shikitei Sanba: a gekisho (theater book) in an illustrated gazette. Here, the famous actors (identified by inscription) wear everyday clothing. Within these textured and fragile pages, Toyokuni’s artistry come to life through the actors’ everyday activities and intimate moments, including exchanging New Year’s greetings. While the actors may not be adorned by their elaborate theater costumes, they are depicted in stunning patterned kimonos, suggesting that smart and fashionable attire was important to these artists even off duty.
Mike Ray