The Second Nakamura Sukegoro as an Outlaw
ca. 1771
Medium
Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
Dimensions
12 1/8 x 5 7/8 in. (30.8 x 14.9 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
JP415
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the lively world of Edo-period Japan (1615–1868), Katsukawa Shunshō's *The Second Nakamura Sukegoro as an Outlaw* (ca. 1771) captures the dramatic flair of kabuki theater. Shunshō, a leading figure in the ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") tradition and founder of the Katsukawa school, specialized in yakusha-e—striking portraits of kabuki actors. Here, the celebrated onnagata (female impersonator) Nakamura Sukegoro II embodies a fierce outlaw, his expressive pose and costume frozen in a moment of theatrical intensity, blending realism with stylized exaggeration. This nishiki-e, or ...
About the Artist
Katsukawa Shunshō 勝川春章 (Japanese) · 1726 –1792
Japanese, 1726–1792