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The Actors Nakamura Utaemon III as Konobei and Nakamura Matsue III as Shiokumi Kofuji

National Museum of Asian Art

Object Details

Artist
Shunbaisai Hokuei (active 1829-1837)
Label
Nakamura Utaemon III plays the commoner Konobei as the onnagata Nakamura Matsue III (Tomijuro II) performs a dance in the style of a shirabyoshi, a female performer who wears male courtiers' robes. Matsue III's poem on the right notes that this is a death-anniversary performance to honor Nakamura Matsue I (1742-1786):
Though it is presumptuous of me,
I offer this death-anniversary performance
as a tribute to my ancestor:
In memory of the deceased,
the sounds of autumn sough
through pines on the beach.
Utaemon's poem on the left alludes to paper robes worn in kabuki plays by lovers reduced to poverty:
The more they age
the more auspicious-
robes of paper.
Translation of poems by John T. Carpenter
Collection
National Museum of Asian Art Collection
Exhibition History
Masterful Illusions: Japanese Prints from the Anne van Biema Collection (September 15, 2002 to January 9, 2003)
Credit Line
The Anne van Biema Collection
1832
Period
Edo period
Accession Number
S2004.3.283a-b
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Print
Medium
Ink, color, brass, silver, mica and embossing on paper
Dimensions
H x W (overall): 37.3 x 51.5 cm (14 11/16 x 20 1/4 in)
Origin
Japan
Related Online Resources
Google Cultural Institute
See more items in
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Topic
portrait
Edo period (1615 - 1868)
dancing
poetry
theater
kabuki
courtier
Japan
actor
haiku
ukiyo-e
yakusha-e
Japanese Art
Anne van Biema collection
diptych
dancer
Record ID
fsg_S2004.3.283a-b
Metadata Usage (text)
Not determined
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye3a77e3966-73cf-4a6d-803b-62dc15374407
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
View manifest View in Mirador Viewer

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