Actor as a Samurai Drawing a Sword, 1879 - Dramatic kabuki portrait of an actor as a samurai, drawing his sword with a determined frown, his brows furrowed. He wears a pale yellow kimono with an embossed pattern tucked into light blue hakama pants with a delicate leafy print, a flash of his red under robe visible at his sleeves. His hair is pulled back into a thick topknot tied with a white cord, but his head is not shaved on top as is typical for a samurai. A text block is offset beneath the portrait, setoff by a red background. A great expressive figure from a rarely seen Yoshitoshi series, detailed with additional embossing in the white kimono collar and trim, and the handle of the sword.

Artist - Yoshitoshi (1839 - 1892)

Image Size - 13 7/8" x 9 5/8" + margins as shown

Condition - This print with excellent color and detail as shown. Small loss at lower right edge, one small thinning spot and a few small holes, repaired. Creasing, slight toning and soiling, a few small stains. Please see photos for details. Good overall.