Shunsen's 36-print actor series (1925–1929) was limited to ~150 subscribed copies per design — one of the smallest editions of any major shin-hanga publisher. Portraits of celebrated grand-lineage actors are the most contested at auction; the artist record is $7,575 at Bonhams New York (2020).
Kataoka Nizaemon XI is depicted as Kakogawa Honzo in Act Nine of Chushingura, from the Shunsen Nigao-e Shu. Honzo's famous appearance with a pine tree prop — the "pine" of Kakogawa — is one of kabuki's most iconic stage images, and Shunsen renders the actor in the moment of that charged, ambiguous gesture. The composition reveals Shunsen's deep knowledge of both the theatrical tradition and the individual actor's interpretation, producing a portrait that functions simultaneously as a record of performance and an independent work of art.
1927
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Collection of Shunsen Portraits: Kataoka Nizaoemon XI as Kyudanme Kakogawa Honzo (Shunsen Nigao-e Shu: Kataoka Nizaoemon XI) was created by Natori Shunsen (名取春仙).
Yes — Collection of Shunsen Portraits: Kataoka Nizaoemon XI as Kyudanme Kakogawa Honzo (Shunsen Nigao-e Shu: Kataoka Nizaoemon XI) is part of the Creative Prints: Collection of Portraits of Actors series by Natori Shunsen.
Collection of Shunsen Portraits: Kataoka Nizaoemon XI as Kyudanme Kakogawa Honzo (Shunsen Nigao-e Shu: Kataoka Nizaoemon XI) was published by Watanabe Shozaburo.
Collection of Shunsen Portraits: Kataoka Nizaoemon XI as Kyudanme Kakogawa Honzo (Shunsen Nigao-e Shu: Kataoka Nizaoemon XI) depicts figures, kabuki, and portraits.
