The Actor Ichikawa Komazo I as Kawazu Saburo - Torii Kiyomitsu I

A 1766 woodblock print by Torii Kiyomitsu I depicting the kabuki actor Ichikawa Komazo I as the warrior Kawazu Saburo.

This woodblock print by Torii Kiyomitsu I depicts the kabuki actor Ichikawa Komazo I in the role of the warrior Kawazu Saburo. The work originates from 1766, a period when the Torii school held a near-monopoly on the production of theatrical imagery for the Edo playhouses. The print is a benizuri-e, a style of polychrome printing that typically utilised two or three colours, often pink and green, applied to a monochrome base.

The composition follows the conventions of yakusha-e, or actor prints, which served as promotional material for theatre enthusiasts. The figure stands in a stylised pose, his costume adorned with crane motifs and geometric patterns. A flowering plum branch arches over the actor, providing a seasonal reference to the first month of the year. The artist employs a calligraphic line quality, characteristic of the Torii family style, which emphasises the dramatic posture and the specific features of the actor. The print includes the signature of Kiyomitsu and the seal of the publisher, Tsuruya Kiemon.

Kiyomitsu I was the third head of the Torii school. His work reflects the transition from the earlier, simpler printing techniques toward the full-colour nishiki-e prints that would emerge later in the century. The focus remains on the theatrical persona, capturing the essence of the performance through costume detail and facial expression rather than realistic portraiture. The flat composition and the use of negative space are typical of the mid-eighteenth-century aesthetic, where the figure is presented against a plain background to ensure clarity of the actor's identity and role.