Torii Kiyotomo

Torii Kiyotomo was an artist documented as active between 1710 and 1815. The artist’s extant work, as represented in major international collections, consists primarily of theatrical subjects, documenting performances and portraits of actors from the early eighteenth century.

The database records six prints and one painting attributed to the artist. These works confirm involvement with specific Kabuki productions, often detailing the theater, the month of the performance, and the actors portrayed. Notable among these documented examples are Ichimura Takenojo VIII and two related prints, Ichikawa Danjuro II as Kanto Koroku and Yamamura Ichitaro as Oichi and The Actor Yamamura Ichitaro as Oichi in the play "Totsusaka-no-jo Tsuru no Sugomori," performed at the Nakamura Theater in the eleventh month, 1721. Further performance documentation includes The Actor Sawamura Sojuro I as Soga no Juro in the play "Tsuru Kame Osana Soga," performed at the Ichimura Theater in the first month, 1721 (?).

Beyond theatrical portraiture, Kiyotomo also produced genre studies such as A Peddler of Colored Cloth (fukusa). These museum-quality works are represented in major North American collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago. As historical documentation, many of Torii Kiyotomo prints are now in the public domain, making high-quality prints and downloadable artwork accessible for scholarship.