On loan

  • On short term loan out for exhibition

The actor Ichikawa Danjūrō VII

Woodblock Print
1805-1810 (published)
Artist/Maker
Utagawa Toyokuni (artist)
Place of origin
Edo (made)

Woodblock print. Ōban format, nishiki-e (full-colour print). Figure on plain ground.

Object details

Category
Prints
Object type
Woodblock print
TitleThe actor Ichikawa Danjūrō VII (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Woodblock print on paper
Paper
Woodblock Print
Brief description
Woodblock print, 'The actor Ichikawa Danjūrō VII' by Utagawa Toyokuni (1769–1825), Edo (Tokyo), 1805–10
Physical description
Woodblock print. Ōban format, nishiki-e (full-colour print). Figure on plain ground.
Dimensions
  • Height: 35.2cm
  • Width: 25.7cm
Taken from register.
Gallery label
(29/2/2020)
Ichikawa Danjūrō VII famously wore a stage costume with a design of a sickle (kama), a circle (wa) and the character for nu. Together these spell kamawanu, meaning ‘I don’t give a damn’. Danjūrō VII’s fans rushed out to buy fabrics and handkerchiefs dyed with the same witty pattern.
Credit line
Bequeathed by Mr Paul Shelving
Bibliographic reference
Jackson, Anna (editor), Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk, London: V&A Publications, 2020
Collection
East Asia Collection
Accession number
E.75-1969

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Record createdJune 25, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O422156/the-actor-ichikawa-danjūrō-vii-woodblock-print-utagawa-toyokuni/
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