The Second Nakamura Nakazo in the Role of Sadakuro in "Chushingura"
5th month, 1795
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
12 5/8 x 5 7/16 in. (32.1 x 13.8 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
JP328
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of Edo-period Japan (1615–1868), Katsukawa Shun'ei captures the dramatic intensity of kabuki theater in this 1795 woodblock print. Titled *The Second Nakamura Nakazo in the Role of Sadakuro in "Chushingura"*, it portrays the acclaimed actor Nakamura Nakazō II as the villainous Sadakurō from the legendary tale of the 47 ronin—a story of samurai loyalty, betrayal, and revenge immortalized in the popular play *Chūshingura*. Shun'ei, a leading figure in the Katsukawa school of ukiyo-e (pictures of the floating world), specialized in yakusha-e, or actor prints, that brought the...
About the Artist
Katsukawa Shun'ei 勝川春英 (Japanese) · 1762 –1819
Japanese, 1762–1819