Nakamura Shikan IV as the Fishmonger Aratota

This vertical chūban woodblock print ([nishiki-e](/glossary/nishiki-e)), dated 1841 and held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art (accession number 2011.142), depicts the celebrated Osaka kabuki actor Nakamura Shikan IV in the role of the fishmonger Aratota. The Met's catalogue records the artist as "Hasegawa Sadamasu 長谷川貞升," reflecting the surname variant under which Sadamasu was sometimes documented; the print is firmly attributable to the artist also known as Utagawa Sadamasu and later Kunimasu. The chūban format (25.4 by 18.4 cm) was the dominant size for Osaka [yakusha-e](/glossary/yakusha-e) of the period, smaller and more intimate than the Edo ōban and well suited to the kamigata-e tradition of close, observational portraiture aimed at devoted fans of the local stage. Nakamura Shikan IV (1830-1899) was one of the dominant Osaka actors of the mid-nineteenth century, and Sadamasu produced numerous portraits of him in roles ranging from samurai heroes to townsmen. The fishmonger Aratota is a character drawn from the rough urban milieu of Osaka, the kind of role that gave the actor an opportunity to display direct, vigorous stage manner and the colourful costumes of working-class characters. The print is part of the Metropolitan Museum's holdings of Osaka prints, acquired in 2011, and is an important early-1840s example of the artist's mature yakusha-e style before his name change to Kunimasu.