The Actor Ichikawa Ebizō as Usui Aratarō Sadamitsu

Tokyo National Museum is celebrating its 150th anniversary. During its long history, the Museum accumulated an extensive collection, including many artworks of great artistic or historical value. Not all these works, however, are designated as National Treasures or Important Cultural Properties. From among these works, our curators have selected what they consider "Future National Treasures" for display in this gallery in 2022.

The Actor Ichikawa Ebizō as Usui Aratarō Sadamitsu
By Utagawa Kunimasa
Edo period, 1796

This is a portrait of the kabuki actor Ichikawa Ebizō (1741–1806; also known as Ichikawa Danjūrō V) playing the role of Usui Aratarō Sadamitsu. The artist has skillfully used color composition and contrasting straight and wavy lines to capture the actor in the midst of a powerful mie pose.