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Actor in a Chinese Opera

Artist Yamamura Kōka (Toyonari) (Japanese, 1885 - 1942)

Publisher Yamamura Kōka Hanga Kankōkai

Date1924

PeriodTaishō period (1912–1926)

CultureJapanese

MediumWoodblock print; ink and color on paper

ClassificationPrints

ProvenanceCharles and Robyn Citrin, n.d.-2019; donated to John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, 2019-present

Credit LineGift of Charles and Robyn Citrin, 2019

Object numberSN11668.7

The subject of this unusual print comes not from the kabuki stage, but rather from a production of Chinese Opera that the Toyonari presumably attended in 1921 during a visit to Shanghai. While kabuki and Chinese Opera (also known as Beijing or Peking Opera) differ in fundamental ways, both customarily employ all-male casts and make use of elaborate stage makeup and costumes to communicate the identity and character of each role.

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Collections

Highlights of Japanese Art

DimensionsSheet: 15 3/4 × 14 3/4 in. (40 × 37.5 cm)
Image: 10 15/16 × 10 1/4 in. (27.8 × 26 cm)

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Yamamura Kōka (Toyonari)

1920

Nakamura Ganjirō I as Akaneya Hanshichi, from an untitled series known as “Flowers of the Theater”

Nakamura Ganjirō I as Akaneya Hanshichi, from an untitled series known as “Flowers of the Theater”

Yamamura Kōka (Toyonari)

1920

Onoe Matsusuke IV as Gorōji in Kagatobi, from an untitled series known as “Flowers of the Theater”

Onoe Matsusuke IV as Gorōji in Kagatobi, from an untitled series known as “Flowers of the Theater”

Yamamura Kōka (Toyonari)

1920

Kataoka Nizaemon XI as Kakiemon, from an untitled series known as “Flowers of the Theater”

Kataoka Nizaemon XI as Kakiemon, from an untitled series known as “Flowers of the Theater”

Yamamura Kōka (Toyonari)

1920

Matsumoto Kōshirō VII as Sukeroku, from an untitled series known as “Flowers of the Theater”

Matsumoto Kōshirō VII as Sukeroku, from an untitled series known as “Flowers of the Theater”

Yamamura Kōka (Toyonari)

1920

Ichimura Uzaemon XV as the Gardener Kichigorō, from an untitled series known as “Flowers of the Theater”

Ichimura Uzaemon XV as the Gardener Kichigorō, from an untitled series known as “Flowers of the Theater”

Yamamura Kōka (Toyonari)

1921

Nakamura Kichiemon I as Hoshikage Doemon, from an untitled series known as “Flowers of the Theater”

Nakamura Kichiemon I as Hoshikage Doemon, from an untitled series known as “Flowers of the Theater”

Yamamura Kōka (Toyonari)

1921

Nakamura Utaemon V as Owasa, from an untitled series known as “Flowers of the Theater”

Nakamura Utaemon V as Owasa, from an untitled series known as “Flowers of the Theater”

Yamamura Kōka (Toyonari)

1921

Image Not Available

Ichikawa Ennosuke II as Hayami Tōta, from an untitled series known as “Flowers of the Theater”

Yamamura Kōka (Toyonari)

1922

Sawamura Sōnosuke I as Umegawa, from an untitled series known as “Flowers of the Theater”

Sawamura Sōnosuke I as Umegawa, from an untitled series known as “Flowers of the Theater”

Yamamura Kōka (Toyonari)

1922

Yamamura Kōka (Toyonari)

1924

February, Cold Skies, from the series Comparison of New Ukiyo-e Beauties

February, Cold Skies, from the series Comparison of New Ukiyo-e Beauties

Yamamura Kōka (Toyonari)

1918