The Actor Nakamura Kichiemon I as Mitsuhide, from the series “Collection of Portraits by Shunsen (Shunsen nigao shu)"
- Series:
- Creative Prints: Collection of Portraits of Actors (print 1 of 36)
- Date:
- 1925
- Medium:
- Color woodblock print; oban
- Format:
- Oban
- Dimensions:
- 41.1 × 27.7 cm
- Publisher:
- Watanabe Shozaburo
- Edition:
- Published by Watanabe Shozaburo
- Source:
- Art Institute of Chicago
Description
From the Shunsen nigao shu (1925), this portrait shows Nakamura Kichiemon I in the role of Mitsuhide — Takechi Mitsuhide, the general whose betrayal of Oda Nobunaga became one of kabuki's defining dramatic subjects. Kichiemon I was celebrated for his powerful, naturalistic approach to dramatic roles, and Shunsen's portrait captures this quality: the face of a man carrying impossible responsibility, the expression of someone whose resolve has outpaced his conscience. The print is among the most psychologically intense of the 1925 Nigao-e Shu series.
More Prints by Natori Shunsen
Actors Ichikawa Shōchō II as Umegawa and Kataoka Gadō XII as Chūbei
1927
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
The Actor Sawada Shojiro as the Swordsman Hayashi Buhei, from the series “Collection of Portraits by Shunsen (Shunsen nigao shu)"
The Actor Ichimura Uzaemon XV as Naozamurai, from the series “Collection of Portraits by Shunsen (Shunsen nigao shu)"
The Actor Onoe Baiko VI as Sayuri, from the series “Collection of Portraits by Shunsen (Shunsen nigao shu)"
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View of Kabuki Theater from Matsuya (Ginza Matsuya yori Kabukiza), no. 3 from the series "Pictures of Ginza, First Series (Gashu Ginza dai isshu)"
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Distant View of Mitsukoshi Movie Theater in Shinjuku from the Sixth Floor of Hoteiya (Hoteiya rokkai kara Shinjuku Mitsukoshi Musashi no kan enbo zu), no. 1 from the series "Scenery of Shinjuku (Gashu Shinjuku fukei)"
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Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Actor Nakamura Kichiemon I as Mitsuhide, 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 Nakamura Kichiemon I as Mitsuhide, from the series “Collection of Portraits by Shunsen (Shunsen nigao shu)" is part of the Creative Prints: Collection of Portraits of Actors series (print 1 of 36) by Natori Shunsen.
The Actor Nakamura Kichiemon I as Mitsuhide, from the series “Collection of Portraits by Shunsen (Shunsen nigao shu)" was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (1925).
The Actor Nakamura Kichiemon I as Mitsuhide, from the series “Collection of Portraits by Shunsen (Shunsen nigao shu)" depicts kabuki.
The Actor Nakamura Kichiemon I as Mitsuhide, from the series “Collection of Portraits by Shunsen (Shunsen nigao shu)" measures 41.1 × 27.7 cm (Oban format).