Nakamura Nakazo II as Prince Koretaka disguised as the farmer Tsuchizo in the play "Intercalary Year Praise of a Famous Poem (Uruo Toshi Meika no Homare)," performed at the Miyako Theater in the eleventh month, 1794

Toshusai Sharaku depicts Nakamura Nakazo II in a role that captures the layered identities so beloved by kabuki dramaturgy: Prince Koretaka, a figure drawn from classical Japanese history and legend, is disguised on stage as the farmer Tsuchizo, with the friction between aristocratic origin and humble appearance providing the emotional engine of the performance. The play, Intercalary Year Praise of a Famous Poem (Uruo Toshi Meika no Homare), was performed at the Miyako Theater, and Sharaku's portrait of Nakazo II in this dual role belongs to the body of [yakusha-e](/glossary/yakusha-e) the artist produced during his prolific and short-lived career. The composition concentrates attention on the actor's face and upper body in the manner of the okubi-e tradition, with firmly drawn contours of the brow and mouth, a controlled palette that gives sculptural weight to the figure, and a careful rendering of costume that signals both the assumed and the underlying identities. The Art Institute of Chicago preserves this impression among its extensive Sharaku holdings, providing primary evidence for the cultural and theatrical world that produced it. Published by Tsutaya Juzaburo, whose commercial ambition aligned with Sharaku's formal one, the print uses high-quality pigments and precise block registration to elevate the genre to a level of luxury that befitted both the actor's stature and the publisher's reputation. Within the broader context of Edo [ukiyo-e](/glossary/ukiyo-e), the work remains a touchstone for understanding how a single observer turned the conventions of actor portraiture into a vehicle for sustained character analysis.