The First Nakamura Nakazo as a Man of High Rank Attired in Naga-Bakama

Description

Nakamura Nakazō I assumes an energetic, bent-legged pose in broad sleeves beneath diagonal roof beams. Costume and architecture share the sheet’s angular movement, making the actor’s presentation more active than a straightforward standing portrait. Katsukawa Shunshō turns this high-ranking character into a specific theatrical presence, where the body’s arrangement gives the formal clothing a lively expression.

Katsukawa Shunshō’s color woodblock print dates to around 1781. Its ink-and-color surface gives the theatrical subject a durable presence, allowing the relationship between performer and costume to be considered beyond a passing stage moment. The work’s interest lies in that transformation, where one named person inhabits the outward signs of another position and the portrait preserves the act of taking on that identity.

Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the Katsukawa Shunshō collection.