The First Nakamura Nakazo in the Role of Ko no Moronao

Dated June 1786 and held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, this Katsukawa Shunkō print depicts the first Nakamura Nakazō in the role of Kō no Moronao. Kō no Moronao is one of the most famous villains in kabuki: the corrupt court official whose harassment of Lady Kaoyo triggers the chain of events in Kanadehon Chūshingura, the celebrated forty-seven rōnin play first performed in 1748 and continually revived thereafter. Nakamura Nakazō I (1736–1790) was the leading actor specializing in villains (jitsuaku) of his generation, famed for his ability to invest evil characters with psychological complexity rather than playing them as mere caricatures. His Moronao was considered one of the great interpretations of the role, and prints commemorating his performances would have sold briskly in the Edo market. Shunkō's portrait captures the actor in costume and makeup specific to the role, with the formal court attire and dignified bearing that made Moronao's cruelty all the more shocking on stage. The June 1786 date and the actor-role pairing strongly suggest a specific revival of Chūshingura that summer. The Metropolitan Museum of Art's preservation of dated, role-identified prints like this one provides essential primary documentation for the history of the Edo kabuki stage.