Actor Ichikawa Danjūrō II as Sanada no Yoichi

Torii Kiyomasu II · 1725

Woodblock print with hand-applied colour of actor Ichikawa Danjūrō II as Sanada no Yoichi by Torii Kiyomasu II, published by Murataya Jirōbei in Edo (modern Tokyo), Japan, in 1725. Hosoban format, urushi-e print. The print shows Ichikawa Danjūrō II's dramatic arrival on stage as Sanada no Yoichi in the play 'Diary kept on a voyage to Izu' (Funadama Izu nikki) performed in Edo's Nakamura-za theatre in 1725. This kind of hand-coloured woodblock print is known as an urushi-e or 'lacquer picture', so named for the glossy black finish achieved by applying animal glue to areas of black ink.