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Actor on Kite

A work made of color woodblock print; surimono.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of color woodblock print; surimono.

Date:

1865

Artist:

Sato Hodai
Japanese, c. 1845-1875
Utagawa Yoshitaki
Japanese, 1841-1899

About this artwork

This print is a rare collaborative surimono created by two woodblock print masters who specialized in different areas of work. Utagawa Yoshitaki was by far the most prolific Osaka Kabuki print artist of the time, while Sato Hodai produced the most Osaka surimono designs of the 1860s. Here the two artists created a New Year design; Hodai created a kite and a branch of plum blossoms, and Yoshitaki made the Kabuki actor’s portrait. Both the plum blossoms and the kite indicate the New Year. In addition, the portrait refers to the kaomise, the first appearance of Kabuki actors in the new season. The collaboration on this print between the Kabuki actor, haikai poets, and print makers suggests the cordial ties of the Osaka cultural salons, as does Yoshitaki’s signature, which commences with the word oju, or “in compliance with a request.”

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of Asia

Artist

Sato Hodai

Title

Actor on Kite

Place

Japan (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1865

Medium

Color woodblock print; surimono

Dimensions

24.7 × 18.5 cm (9 3/4 × 7 5/16 in.)

Credit Line

Charles H. Mitchell Collection unrestricted gift

Reference Number

1972.1597

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/42589/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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