Nakamura Utaemon III

Nakamura Utaemon III is a yakusha-e portrait by Utagawa Kunisada of one of the most influential kabuki actors of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Nakamura Utaemon III (also known by his haigo Shikan, 1778-1838) was based principally in Osaka but performed extensively in Edo and was famous for his versatility across tachiyaku, jitsuaku, and onnagata roles. Kunisada, the dominant designer of Edo ukiyo-e actor portraits in his generation, captures Utaemon III's distinctive face with the focused expression and the sharply observed individual features that nigao-e (likeness portraiture) required, framed by a patterned costume and a hairstyle appropriate to the role. The Utagawa school under Toyokuni I had refined nigao-e into a recognisable house style, and Kunisada inherited and extended that practice across thousands of prints. Portraits of Utaemon III circulated widely beyond his home region, allowing audiences in Edo and elsewhere to keep the actor's image close at hand, and they remain primary documents for the study of his stagecraft and personal style. The impression is catalogued on ukiyo-e.org through the Art of Japan source, contributing to the broader visual record of Utaemon III's celebrity. Source: ukiyo-e.org / Art of Japan (https://ukiyo-e.org/image/artofjapan/4cbde4b2b58e907fa52281117a34b49b).