Listening to the Sound of Bouncing Ball (Matsumoto Kōshirō IV)

The growing popularity of Kabuki and the rising fame of its actors precipitated public interest in all aspects of actors' lives. Print designers responded by depicting actors engaged in activities outside the theater. Shunshø, the founder of the Katsukawa School, pioneered this genre, but it was also a specialty of his pupil, Shunchø. Here, Shunchø renders Matsumoto Køshirø IV (1737-1802) walking down a street with his attendant. The poem in the upper right corner, composed by the actor himself, explains the scene: Cherry flowers are in bloom behind the fence from which the sound of a bouncing ball is coming. How tasteful it is!