Ichikawa Danjūrō II (?) Performing Shibaraku in the Ichimura Theater

Ichikawa Danjūrō II (?) Performing Shibaraku in the Ichimura Theater

Torii Kiyotada

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

On the runway to the stage, the actor Ichikawa Danjūrō appears just before striding forward to save the day, shouting "Shibaraku!" ("Wait a moment!") in a bravado role he created. Kiyotada employed the technique of two-point perspective to show the interior of the theater. Early Kabuki performances were all-day affairs before audiences who ate, drank, and gossiped while awaiting the entrance of favorite actors, who struck their famous poses.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Ichikawa Danjūrō II (?) Performing Shibaraku in the Ichimura TheaterIchikawa Danjūrō II (?) Performing Shibaraku in the Ichimura TheaterIchikawa Danjūrō II (?) Performing Shibaraku in the Ichimura TheaterIchikawa Danjūrō II (?) Performing Shibaraku in the Ichimura TheaterIchikawa Danjūrō II (?) Performing Shibaraku in the Ichimura Theater

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.