Description
Katsukawa Shunshō’s portrait of Nakamura Jūzō II as a yakko combines a servant’s role with a vigorous stage presence. The figure carries an implement raised above him, giving the composition an upward emphasis. His body and clothing become part of a theatrical action held at a single instant, making the performer appear ready to continue beyond the stillness of the printed image.
Dated 1773 or 1774, this ink-and-color woodblock print belongs to Edo-period Japan’s lively culture of actor images. Its subject reminds us that a stage portrait could record more than a famous face. The part being played mattered too, shaping how an audience understood the figure. Shunshō’s print keeps that double identity intact, offering an encounter with both a particular performer and the theatrical world in which he worked.
Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the Katsukawa Shunshō collection.
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