Kabuki Actor Onoe Kikugorō I in The Belle of Asakusa Temple - Torii Kiyohiro

A classic Ukiyo-e woodblock print by Torii Kiyohiro, capturing the actor Onoe Kikugorō I in a dramatic kabuki performance.

This woodblock print by Torii Kiyohiro depicts the celebrated kabuki actor Onoe Kikugorō I in a role from the play 'Keisei Asakusa no Kane'. The Torii school held a long association with the kabuki theatre, producing promotional prints that functioned as both advertisements and souvenirs for theatre-goers in Edo-period Japan. Kiyohiro, an active member of this lineage during the mid-eighteenth century, utilised the benizuri-e technique, which allowed for a limited palette of colours, typically pink and green, applied to the monochrome ink base.

The composition features the actor in a stylised pose, carrying baskets of produce suspended from a bamboo pole across his shoulders. This specific posture, known as a 'mie', captures a moment of heightened dramatic tension within the performance. The actor wears a patterned kimono, rendered with the bold, graphic lines characteristic of the Torii style. Behind him, a pine tree and a lattice screen provide a sense of setting, though the background remains largely decorative rather than realistic. The print demonstrates the focus on individual actor identity and costume detail that defined the yakusha-e genre.

Kiyohiro's work reflects the aesthetic priorities of the period, where the exaggerated features and expressive gestures of the kabuki stage were translated into two-dimensional form. The print serves as a record of a specific performance, capturing the actor's likeness and the visual flair of the production. The use of space is balanced, with the figure occupying the centre, framed by the verticality of the bamboo pole and the surrounding architectural elements. This print remains a representative example of the commercial art produced for the urban population of Edo, documenting the intersection of popular theatre and print culture.