Yoshitoshi Mori
義利森
Japanese, 1898–1992
Shibaraku, 1970
woodcut
Museum Purchase
1971.35
Shibaraku translates literally as “a moment,” or “a little while.” In the context of this image, however, Yoshitoshi Mori is referring to the Shibaraku scene of the kabuki theatre, which was first developed in the late seventeenth century. In this specific, iconic scene, a hero comes to the rescue of a group of people threatened by an evil character. Over time, the spectacular makeup, grandiose costumes, and dramatic poses of the scene have come to represent the kabuki theatre itself. In Mori’s Shibaraku, the artist’s playful style and distinctive stencil technique are used to represent the actor at the climax of the drama, his hair and costume sweeping behind him to lend a sense of action to the print. Mori started working as a full-time printmaker in his sixties, often borrowing subjects from his past work with the Japanese folk art movement. Festivals, kabuki actors, artisans, and characters from historic literature were among his favored topics.