「荒藤太　中村芝翫」(四代)|Nakamura Shikan IV as the Fishmonger Aratota

Hasegawa Sadamasu 長谷川貞升

1841 · Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper; vertical chūban · Asian Art

This “large-head” portrait captures the energetic presence of the renowned Osaka actor Shikan IV. He is shown in the role of the humble fishmonger from a performance of Rapeseed Blossom Rites at Tenmangū Shrine held at the Naka Theater in Osaka in 1841. The play is one of the popular dramatizations of the life of courtier-poet Sugawara no Michizane, who was unjustly exiled from the imperial court and eventually deified to quell his angry spirit.

Artist

Hasegawa Sadamasu 長谷川貞升

Date

1841

Medium

Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper; vertical chūban

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Purchase, Friends of Asian Art Gifts, in honor of James C. Y. Watt, 2011