Katsukawa Shunshō　勝川春章 - The Second Ichikawa Yaozo as a Wrestler Standing in an Arena - 1770 - STICKER Vinyl Kiss-Cut Decal

A 1770 woodblock print by Katsukawa Shunshō, this ukiyo-e sheet shows the Second Ichikawa Yaozo in the role of a wrestler, standing within an arena.

Visual Elements & Composition

The print is built on a tall vertical panel, with the ring of the arena anchoring the scene. A standing wrestler in a patterned ceremonial apron holds the upright centre, while a crouching wrestler in a dark blue apron sits low in the frame, so the two figures set up a clear contrast of height and posture. The palette is restrained: pale cream ground, slate blue, terracotta, dusty ochre and ink black carry the image. A small signature, 春章画, sits within the print.

Meaning & Symbolism

Ichikawa Yaozo II was a kabuki actor, and the print records a stage role rather than a real bout, so the wrestler's costume and stance become a performance in their own right. Shunshō worked in the Edo period, when kabuki and its actors were central to popular culture and portraits of performers in character circulated among theatre followers. The sheet joins theatre and the traditional motif of sumo, the meeting of performance art and Japanese tradition that defined the late eighteenth century.

Designed to Be Cut to Its Own Outline

A kiss-cut sticker follows the edge of its artwork, so the arena, the ring and the figures define the object's silhouette rather than sitting inside a rectangle. The strong verticals of the standing wrestler and the dark mass of the crouching figure read cleanly at close range, which suits a print that was designed to be studied up close. For collectors of Edo theatre, the sticker turns a stage portrait into something that travels with them.