The Actor Nakamura Nakazo I as Aso no Matsuwaka (?) in the Play Iro Moyo Aoyagi Soga (?), Performed at the Nakamura Theater (?) in the Second Month, 1775 (?) by Katsukawa Shunkō

The Actor Nakamura Nakazo I as Aso no Matsuwaka (?) in the Play Iro Moyo Aoyagi Soga (?), Performed at the Nakamura Theater (?) in the Second Month, 1775 (?) c. 1775

print

toned paper

fine art illustration

childish illustration

cartoon like

cartoon based

print

asian-art

caricature

japan

cartoon sketch

watercolour illustration

cartoon style

cartoon carciture

This woodblock print, created by Katsukawa Shunkō in the 1770s, portrays the Kabuki actor Nakamura Nakazo I as a character named Aso no Matsuwaka from the play “Iro Moyo Aoyagi Soga.” The work is an example of the ukiyo-e genre, a form of Japanese art that depicted the “floating world” of everyday life and popular entertainment. The print is a portrait of the actor, capturing his powerful stance and dramatic expression, and it was likely intended for fans of Kabuki theatre. The vivid colours and dynamic composition are characteristic of Shunkō’s work.