The Actor Nakamura Utaemon VI as Tonase in Kanadehon Chushingura / Okubi-e (Bust Portraits, Series IV)
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Source:
- British Museum
This okubi-e depicts Nakamura Utaemon VI, one of the foremost onnagata actors of the twentieth century, in the role of Tonase from Kanadehon Chushingura, the canonical stage adaptation of the 47 Ronin vendetta. Tonase appears in Act IX as the resolute mother-in-law preparing to carry out a painful duty demanded by samurai code. Kokei renders the character in close bust format, following the monumental okubi-e tradition established by Sharaku and Utamaro in the 1790s. The series IV designation indicates this print belongs to a sustained body of actor portraits in which Kokei explored physiognomic intensity through bold line carving and carefully graded [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi). The composition isolates the face and upper costume against a spare ground, directing full attention to the actor's stage expression and the intricate details of the period wig and kimono collar.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
The Actor Nakamura Utaemon VI as Tonase in Kanadehon Chushingura / Okubi-e (Bust Portraits, Series IV) was created by Tsuruya Kokei (弦屋光溪).
The Actor Nakamura Utaemon VI as Tonase in Kanadehon Chushingura / Okubi-e (Bust Portraits, Series IV) depicts theater.
![Kabukiza [Kabuki Theater] by Sonoyama Harumi](https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/10806d46-109a-d67f-30ac-d57e9b374873/full/843,/0/default.jpg)
![Inside Scene of Kabukiza [Kabuki theater] (One Hundred Views of Tokyo, Message to the 21st Century) by Obata Tsutomu](https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/33905fb8-c304-71f5-6150-cb9260cf9efa/full/843,/0/default.jpg)