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, Sawamura Gennosuke IV appears as Nikki Danjo, the villainous retainer whose famous "mouse magic" scene — in which he transforms into a rat — is one of kabuki's most celebrated supernatural moments. Shunsen renders the actor with appropriate menace: the face calculating and cold, the expression carrying the particular stillness of a man whose treachery operates beneath a surface of aristocratic composure. The quality of psychological observation in this portrait exemplifies why Shunsen's yakusha-e were celebrated as the finest of the shin-hanga era.
1927
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Collection of Shunsen Portraits: Sawamura Gennosuke IV as Nikki Danjo (Shunsen Nigao-e Shu: Sawamura Gennosuke IV) was created by Natori Shunsen (名取春仙).
Yes — Collection of Shunsen Portraits: Sawamura Gennosuke IV as Nikki Danjo (Shunsen Nigao-e Shu: Sawamura Gennosuke IV) is part of the Creative Prints: Collection of Portraits of Actors series by Natori Shunsen.
Collection of Shunsen Portraits: Sawamura Gennosuke IV as Nikki Danjo (Shunsen Nigao-e Shu: Sawamura Gennosuke IV) was published by Watanabe Shozaburo.
Collection of Shunsen Portraits: Sawamura Gennosuke IV as Nikki Danjo (Shunsen Nigao-e Shu: Sawamura Gennosuke IV) depicts figures, kabuki, and portraits.
