The Ninth Ichimura Uzaemon in the Title Role of the Drama Nagoya Sanza 1757

Curator: Here we have a beautiful Ukiyo-e woodblock print by Kitao Shigemasa, dating back to 1757. It's titled "The Ninth Ichimura Uzaemon in the Title Role of the Drama Nagoya Sanza" and you can find it here at The Met. Editor: What strikes me is how calm and still it feels. Even with two figures so central, there's a real sense of quiet drama in their stance. Curator: Absolutely. Shigemasa’s use of line really adds to that impression. See how each is delineated with such care, it brings a unique sense of weight, doesn't it? Also notice how he has placed them close together, reinforcing how aligned they are in that moment. Editor: And those hats! Almost identical, casting identical shadows and obscuring their faces entirely, with such grace. And what about the way the woodblock printing creates a certain…flatness? There's no attempt at realism here, yet the stylized robes and objects create such elegance. Curator: The patterns are quite beautiful. They’re subtle, intricate details, that invite you in. It’s typical of Ukiyo-e to capture fleeting moments—the world as a floating world, transient, of which drama would definitely be part! And actors, of course, were cultural icons, akin to our celebrities. Editor: Speaking of transient moments…to me, it suggests almost an idea that no moment can be relived. These actors are heading, they may never return as this part again. In what role did you say he's captured? Curator: Nagoya Sanza. The story revolves around… Actually, let’s keep some mystery. Discovering that is part of the fun for yourself, I believe! The museum label offers more details if you want to delve deeper, you know. Editor: I am strangely captured now, so definitely! Shigemasa really pulls me in. It is curious; at first it seems static, even simplistic in its composition. But then I start noticing those little variations in patterns, in line, which draws me into contemplating. Curator: Yes! The simplicity, in this instance, works towards creating so much character. Well, there's clearly lots to meditate on, in these gentle images, made for the masses. Editor: And what’s left unsaid… really speaks! Thanks for unlocking it all a little, there.