Description
Nakamura Sukegorō II appears as an outlaw in Katsukawa Shunshō’s print, taking a role defined by its position outside ordinary social order. A raised, bent knee gives the figure an emphatic posture, while round motifs animate the robe beside a fence and tree. The dark background sharpens the actor’s presence, bringing the character’s energy forward through the combination of costume and bodily movement.
Made around 1771, the nishiki-e work uses ink and color on paper. Shunshō gives the role a lasting presence through the charged presence of a character set apart from ordinary society. The image invites attention to the way an actor can make a socially charged identity tangible. Its appeal lies in the tension between recognition and disguise, allowing Sukegorō to remain identifiable even as the character he inhabits moves beyond the expectations of respectable life.
Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the Katsukawa Shunshō collection.
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