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.
From the Shunsen Nigao-e Shu, this portrait shows Ichikawa Chusha VII as Taju no Takechi Mitsuhide — the treacherous general whose betrayal of Oda Nobunaga at Honnoji has made him one of kabuki's most compelling and morally ambiguous protagonists. Shunsen renders Chusha's celebrated portrayal of this character with an appropriate intensity: the eyes calculating, the expression controlled, the elaborate costume of formal rank simultaneously reinforcing and ironizing the character's position. The mica and embossing typical of the Shunsen Nigao-e Shu series give the print its characteristic opulent surface.
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.
Collection of Shunsen Portraits: Ichikawa Chusha VII as Taju no Takechi Mitsuhide (Shunsen Nigao-e Shu: Ichikawa Chusha VII) was created by Natori Shunsen (名取春仙).
Yes — Collection of Shunsen Portraits: Ichikawa Chusha VII as Taju no Takechi Mitsuhide (Shunsen Nigao-e Shu: Ichikawa Chusha VII) is part of the Creative Prints: Collection of Portraits of Actors series (print 17 of 36) by Natori Shunsen.
Collection of Shunsen Portraits: Ichikawa Chusha VII as Taju no Takechi Mitsuhide (Shunsen Nigao-e Shu: Ichikawa Chusha VII) was published by Watanabe Shozaburo.
Collection of Shunsen Portraits: Ichikawa Chusha VII as Taju no Takechi Mitsuhide (Shunsen Nigao-e Shu: Ichikawa Chusha VII) depicts kabuki.