Memorial portrait of the actor Ichikawa Danjuro VIII. (死絵 八代目市川団十郎)
Collection:CSM Museum & Study Collection
Date: 1854
Maker: Anon
Medium: O-ban Nishiki-e (大判錦絵, large-format coloured print)
Object number: O.11.36
DescriptionMemorial to the actor Ichikawa Danjuro VIII who committed suicide on 7th [6th] day of the 8th month (1854). This type of print belongs to the genre called 'shini-e (死絵),’ which was published in large numbers from the late Edo period onwards whenever a Kabuki actor died. It was published not only as an obituary but also as a gossip paper.
The news that Ichikawa Danjuro VIII (八代目市川團十郎) committed suicide at the age of 32 at the height of his popularity in 1854 shocked the masses in Edo, and around 200 different versions of ’shini-e’ of him were published. This work is one of them.
The news that Ichikawa Danjuro VIII (八代目市川團十郎) committed suicide at the age of 32 at the height of his popularity in 1854 shocked the masses in Edo, and around 200 different versions of ’shini-e’ of him were published. This work is one of them.
