The actor Nakamura Utaemon IV as Taira Shinno Masakado
c. 1847/52
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
36.5 × 24.6 cm (14 3/8 × 9 11/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
92257
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of 19th-century Japanese theater, Utagawa Kunisada I (also known as Toyokuni, 1786–1865) masterfully captured the drama of kabuki with this striking color woodblock print, *The Actor Nakamura Utaemon IV as Taira Shinno Masak*, created around 1847–52. A leading figure in the ukiyo-e tradition—"pictures of the floating world"—Kunisada specialized in yakusha-e, or actor portraits, that immortalized star performers in iconic roles. Here, the renowned onnagata (specialist in female roles) Nakamura Utaemon IV embodies the fierce 10th-century rebel Taira no Masakado, a historical...
About the Artist
Utagawa Kunisada I (Toyokuni III) · 1786–1864
Utagawa Kunisada I, also known as Toyokuni III (1786–1865), was born Sumida Shōgorō in the Honjo district of Edo (modern Tokyo) into a family that operated a hereditary ferry-boat service, providing stability after his father's early death. Displaying prodigious talent in drawing from childhood, he became an apprentice to the master Utagawa Toyokuni I around 1801 at age fifteen, entering the prest...