Natori Shunsen

1886-1960

Creative Prints, Collected Portraits of Shunsen: Actor Ichikawa Ennosuke II as Kakudayu
(Sosaku hanga Shunsen Nigao-e Shu: Nisei Ichikawa Ennosuke, Ikuta Kakudayu)

signed Shunsen with artist's oval seal Kajicho and artist's approval seal Natori on lower right, dated at the upper right, Showa ninen shunyo saku (made in spring of Showa 2 [1927]), publisher's seal Watanabe-ko (Watanabe Shozaburo), from an edition limited to 150 impressions, 1927

dai oban tate-e 15 1/2 by 10 7/8 in., 39.3 by 27.6 cm

Actor Ichikawa Ennosuke II (1888-1963) is in the role of the devious criminal Ikuta Kakudayu from the play Toyama seidan uwasa shiranami, a version of Toyama Zakura Tenpo Nikki, which was staged at the Asakusa Shokaku-za in Tokyo on January 1st, 1926. A former samurai who becomes a villainous thief, Kakudayu disguises himself as a blind masseur and attempts to frame a defrocked Buddhist priest named Tengaku to take the fall for his misdeeds. Kakudayu acts as a foil character in contrast with the hero of the drama, the samurai Toyama Kinshiro (popularly known as Kin-san, based on a historical figure from the late 19th century), a city magistrate who moves among commoners incognito. When acting as a judge in criminal trials, Kin-san bears witness to their guilt and reveals himself by showing his distinctive cherry blossom tattoo in court.

References:
Lawrence Smith, The Japanese Print Since 1900: Old Dreams and New Visions, 1983, p. 73, cat. no. 49
Yamaguchi Keizoro, Natori Shunsen Exhibition Catalogue, Kushigata, 1991, p. 41, no. 30
Lawrence Smith, Modern Japanese Prints 1912-1989, 1994, cat. no. 43, pl. 42
Kozo Yamada, Shunsen Natori: Collection of the Kushigata Shunsen Museum of Art, 2002, p. 30, cat. no. 22
Lucie Folan et. al., Stars of the Tokyo Stage: Natori Shunsen's Kabuki Actor Prints, National Gallery of Australia, 2012, pp. 96-97
Carolyn M. Putney, Fresh Impressions: Early Modern Japanese Prints, Toledo Museum of Art, 2013, p. 193, cat. no. 155
Darrel C. Karl, Modern Japanese Performing Arts Prints (www.mjpap.com), 1926 January (performance date)
Shoriya Aragoro (www.kabuki21.com), Toyama Zakura Tenpo Nikki (play summary) Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (collections.mfa.org), accession no. 66.417
The British Museum (britishmuseum.org), registration no. 1966,0613,0.4
Honolulu Museum of Art, object no. 26577
Smithsonian, National Museum of Asian Art, Muller Collection, accession no. S2003.8.1555
Waseda University (archive.waseda.jp), artwork no. 201-0273

(inv. no. C-3880)

price: $2,400