The First Nakamura Tomijuro as a Woman Walking Toward the Left
late 1777 or early in 1778
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
11 23/32 x 5 3/4 in. (29.8 x 14.6 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1918
Accession Number
JP290
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of Edo-period Japan with *The First Nakamura Tomijūrō as a Woman Walking the Left*, a captivating woodblock print by Katsukawa Shunkō (1743–1812). Created in late 1777 or early 1778, this intimate yakusha-e (actor print) measures just 11 23/32 x 5 3/4 inches, the legendary kabuki performer Nakamura Tomijūrō in the graceful role of an onnagata—a male actor specializing in female characters. Shunkō, a master of the ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") school under his teacher Shunshō, captures Tomijūrō's poised stride with elegant kimono folds and a subtle, know...
About the Artist
Katsukawa Shunkō
Katsukawa Shunkō I (1743–1812) was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist who pioneered the ōkubi-e (large-head) portrait format in kabuki actor prints and served as possibly the first student of Katsukawa Shunshō, the founder of the influential Katsukawa school. Born in 1743, Shunkō spent his entire life in Edo (modern Tokyo), working as both a painter and ukiyo-e printmaker specializing in yakusha-e (actor p...