Ippitsusai Bunchō (, ) was a Japanese

ukiyo-e is a genre of Japanese art that flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. Its artists produced woodblock printing, woodblock prints and Nikuhitsu-ga, paintings of such subjects as female beauties; kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers; scenes ...

artist, best known for his '' yakusha-e'' actor prints in narrow '' hosoban'' dimensions. Bunchō and

Katsukawa Shunshō Shunshō Katsukawa (; 1726 – 19 January 1793) was a Japanese painter and printmaker in the ''ukiyo-e'' style, and the leading artist of the Katsukawa school. Shunshō studied under Miyagawa Shunsui, son and student of Miyagawa Chōshun, bo ...

are credited with having developed

kabuki is a classical form of Theatre of Japan, Japanese theatre, mixing dramatic performance with Japanese traditional dance, traditional dance. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily stylised performances, its glamorous, highly decorated costumes ...

actor portraiture focuses on producing likenesses of the subjects, rather than stereotyped faces. Little is known about Bunchō's life. His birth surname was Mori, and he is believed to have studied painting under Ishikawa Yukimoto of the

Kanō school The is one of the most famous schools of Japanese painting. The Kanō school of painting was the dominant style of painting from the late 15th century until the Meiji era, Meiji period which began in 1868, by which time the school had divided i ...

. The earliest known works attributed to Bunchō are the illustrations to Hachimonji Jishō II's ''Eiga asobi nidai otoko'' (1755). Between 1766 and 1774 he made a large number of actor prints in the narrow vertical ''hosoban'' dimensions. In 1770 he produced the three-volume ''Ehon butai ōgi'' (, "Picture-book of Stage Fans") with

, which depicts the leading

actors of the day on ''ōgi''

hand fan A handheld fan, or simply hand fan, is a broad, flat surface that is waved back and forth to create an airflow. Generally, purpose-made handheld fans are folding fans, which are shaped like a Circular sector, sector of a circle and made of a thi ...

s; Bunchō handled the ''

onnagata , also , are male actors who play female roles in kabuki theatre. It originated in 1629 after women were banned from performing in kabuki performances. There are many specific techniques that actors must learn to master the role of ''onnagata'' ...

''—male actors who portray female characters. It was popular and went through multiple printings. From 1769 he also made '' bijin-ga'' prints of female beauties that show the influence of Suzuki Harunobu. These became his major subject, and in the

An'ei was a after '' Meiwa'' and before ''Tenmei.'' This period spanned the years November 1772 through March 1781. The reigning emperors were and . Change of era * 1772 : The era name was changed to ''An'ei'' (meaning "peaceful eternity") to mark ...

era (1772–81) no actor prints of his are known. Bunchō's last known work was an '' e-goyomi'' picture calendar from 1790. He had few students, one of whom was Kishi Bunshō (1754–96). Acteur Matsumoto Koshiro III in de rol van Soga no Goro-Rijksmuseum RP-P-1956-703.jpeg, Matsumoto Koshiro III as Soga no Goro Acteur Matsumoto Koshiro III in de vrouwenrol Asagao-Rijksmuseum RP-P-1956-701.jpeg, Matsumoto Koshiro as Asagao Actor and Courtesan Parodying the Armor-Pulling Scene from the Story of the Soga Brothers LACMA M.2006.136.300.jpg, Actor and Courtesan Parodying the Armor-Pulling Scene from the Story of the Soga Brothers Brooklyn Museum - An Actor of the Ichikawa School about to Draw His Sword - Ippitsusai Buncho.jpg, An Actor of the Ichikawa School about to Draw His Sword Brooklyn Museum - The Toothbrush Shop Yanagi-ya - Ippitsusai Buncho.jpg, The Toothbrush Shop Yanagi-ya Ichimura Uzaemon IX and Otani Hiroji III (1768).jpg, Ichimura Uzaemon IX and Otani Hiroji III Ichimura Uzaemon X (1770).jpg, Ichimura Uzaemon X Ippitsusai Buncho - Courtesan with a Dog.jpg, Courtesan with a Dog Ippitsusai Buncho ukiyo-e woodblock print.jpg,

References

Works cited

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External links

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Ippitsusai Bunchō
at ukiyo-e.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Buncho Year of birth missing Year of death missing Ukiyo-e artists