The Actor Bando Shucho III as Shizuka Gozen, from the series “Collection of Portraits by Shunsen (Shunsen nigao shu)"
- Date:
- 1925
- Medium:
- Color woodblock print; oban
- Format:
- Oban
- Dimensions:
- 40.2 × 27 cm
- Publisher:
- Watanabe Shozaburo
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).
From the series "Collection of Portraits by Shunsen" (Shunsen nigao shu), this 1925 print depicts Bando Shucho III in the role of Shizuka Gozen — the devoted dancer and companion of the tragic commander Minamoto no Yoshitsune. Shizuka was one of the most elegant and emotionally resonant roles in the onnagata repertoire, demanding beauty, grace, and controlled grief. Shunsen's rendering of Shucho's interpretation captures the actor's mastery of this particular emotional register: the face composed in public dignity while conveying private anguish.
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.
The Actor Bando Shucho III as Shizuka Gozen, from the series “Collection of Portraits by Shunsen (Shunsen nigao shu)" was created by Natori Shunsen (名取春仙) in 1925.
Yes — The Actor Bando Shucho III as Shizuka Gozen, from the series “Collection of Portraits by Shunsen (Shunsen nigao shu)" is part of the Creative Prints: Collection of Portraits of Actors series by Natori Shunsen.
The Actor Bando Shucho III as Shizuka Gozen, from the series “Collection of Portraits by Shunsen (Shunsen nigao shu)" was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (1925).
The Actor Bando Shucho III as Shizuka Gozen, from the series “Collection of Portraits by Shunsen (Shunsen nigao shu)" depicts kabuki.
The Actor Bando Shucho III as Shizuka Gozen, from the series “Collection of Portraits by Shunsen (Shunsen nigao shu)" measures 40.2 × 27 cm (Oban format).