Every Shunsen print from the 36-actor series and the supplemental 15-print series (1929–1931) was limited to ~150 copies, making all original Watanabe impressions inherently scarce. Mica backgrounds and vivid color are key condition criteria that separate first from later impressions.
In this 1926 portrait, Ichikawa Chusha VII takes the role of Takechi Mitsuhide, the treacherous general of the Honnoji Incident who became one of kabuki's most complex and compelling villain-protagonists. Shunsen renders the actor with unsettling psychological precision: the eyes calculating, the features composed into the mask of loyalty that conceals betrayal. Mica and embossing emphasize the richness of the formal court costume, while the color balance of warm golds against cool shadows suggests the moral ambiguity at the heart of the role. Published by Watanabe Shozaburo in the landmark year of [shin-hanga](/glossary/shin-hanga)'s first great international expansion.
1927
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
歌舞伎
Woodblock print
1955
Woodblock print
1928
Color lithograph
1930
Color lithograph
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Actor Ichikawa Chūsha VII as Takechi Mitsuhide was created by Natori Shunsen (名取春仙) in 1926.
Actor Ichikawa Chūsha VII as Takechi Mitsuhide was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (1926).
Actor Ichikawa Chūsha VII as Takechi Mitsuhide depicts kabuki.
Actor Ichikawa Chūsha VII as Takechi Mitsuhide measures 37.8 × 25.7 cm (Oban format).