Actor Nakamura Utaemon III (Shikan) as the Farmer Gosaku, actually Ishikawa Goemon (百姓五作実は石川五右衛門 中村歌右衛門)
Actor Nakamura Utaemon III (Shikan) as the Farmer Gosaku, actually Ishikawa Goemon (百姓五作実は石川五右衛門 中村歌右衛門)

Currently not on view

Actor Nakamura Utaemon III (Shikan) as the Farmer Gosaku, actually Ishikawa Goemon (百姓五作実は石川五右衛門 中村歌右衛門),

1830 [Bunsei 13/Tenpō 1], 1st month

Shunkōsai Hokushū 春好齋北洲, active 1810–1832, Osaka, Japan
Published by Honsei (Shōhonya Seishichi 正本屋清七)
Japanese
Edo period, 1603–1868
2011-39

Information

Title
Actor Nakamura Utaemon III (Shikan) as the Farmer Gosaku, actually Ishikawa Goemon (百姓五作実は石川五右衛門 中村歌右衛門)
Dates

1830 [Bunsei 13/Tenpō 1], 1st month

Maker
Shunkōsai Hokushū 春好齋北洲
Published by Honsei (Shōhonya Seishichi 正本屋清七)
Medium
Woodblock print (ōban tate-e format); ink and color on paper
Dimensions
sheet trimmed to block: 37.8 x 25.2 cm. (14 7/8 x 9 15/16 in.) mount: 43.2 x 30.3 cm
Credit Line
Museum purchase, The Anne van Biema Collection Fund
Object Number
2011-39
Place Made

Asia, Japan

Description

The actor, Nakamura Utaemon III, stands with hands clasped and face in the aragoto mie pose in front of a mesh curtain. At first glance, the curtain appears as an intricately designed backdrop, but upon closer inspection, one notices faces are visible in the black gauze stage curtain that represents smoke in this outstanding print by Hokushū.

A versatile and talented star of the Osaka theater, Nakamura Utaemon III here plays the role of Ishikawa Goemon, a ronin (masterless samurai) bandit and rebel whose exploits were the subject of many kabuki dramas. In the premier performance of Keisei setsugekka, a play that Utaemon wrote under his pen name, he wears the disguise of a farmer and calls upon the arts employed by ninja (secret agents) to elude the warriors who pursue him. The artist Hokushū collaborated with the master block engraver, Kasuke, to produce some of the finest Osaka prints.

Culture
Japanese
Period
Edo (Japanese period)
Type
woodblock prints, prints, osaka print school
Materials
oban, color, ink, paper
Techniques
woodcut (process)
Subject
men, swords, smoke, faces, actors, ronins, performances, figures (representations)

– The Haber Collection (New York, NY).

–2011 Sebastian Izzard LLC Asian Art (New York, NY), sold to the Princeton University Art Museum, 2011.

IIIF manifest

The International Image Interoperability Framework, or IIIF, is an open standard for delivering high-quality, attributed digital objects online at scale. Visit iiif.io to learn more.

Open API URL

Our API is generally designed to provide programmatic access to the Museum's collections data for applications that require regular updates and/or the ability to dynamically query and filter the data via the endpoints provided.

Share your feedback with us

The Museum regularly researches its objects and their collecting histories, updating its records to reflect new information. We also strive to catalogue works of art using language that is consistent with how people, subjects, artists, and cultures describe themselves. As this effort is ongoing, the Museum’s records may be incomplete or contain terms that are no longer acceptable. We welcome your feedback, questions, and additional information that you feel may be useful to us. Email us at collectionsinfo@princeton.edu.

Explore More

Holidays at the Museum

Princeton Collects

Mosaic Restaurant