Stars of the Tokyo Stage: Natori Shunsen's Kabuki Actor Prints

by Lucie Folan

Stars of the Tokyo Stage celebrates the glamor of kabuki theater amid the dynamic atmosphere of Japan in the 1920s and 30s. Natori Shunsen's superb woodblock portraits of the superstar actors of the time are exquisitely reproduced and discussed in detail, alongside a selection of spectacular costumes from the kabuki stage. Stars of the Tokyo Stage brings together essays by experts in the fields of kabuki, printmaking, and modern Japan. It is a lavishly illustrated, entertaining, and valuable resource for anyone with an interest in Japanese art, culture, and theater.

144 pages, Paperback

First published December 5, 2012

Reviews

[Laurel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly sublime collection of portraits by Natori Shunsen. Beautifully rendered full-page plates augmented with plot summaries of the plays those plates depict, and the biographies of the actors.