Evening Rain at Shukaku - the actor Nakamura Nakazo as Sadakuro, from an untitled series of actor prints

1780·Color woodblock print; chuban·25 × 18.5 cm (9 7/8 × 7 5/16 in.)

<p>This work is a parody in several dimensions. “Shukaku” is the pen name of the actor Nakazô, who performed a role in the play. In a parody of the famous letter-reading scene in Act VII, the print title and a quotation by Nakazô are written in reverse in the background of the scene. The quotation suggests a then well-known series of eight paintings of Chinese rivers famous for their (imense) great beauty. Edo audiences greatly enjoyed unraveling the many implied references in works of this type. The scene in this print is based on Act V in the play; Hiroshige’s interpretation of Act V is shown nearby.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1780
Medium: Color woodblock print; chuban
Dimensions: 25 × 18.5 cm (9 7/8 × 7 5/16 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Torii Kiyonaga

Artist

Torii Kiyonaga

Installation

Torii Kiyonaga was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist of the Torii school. Originally Sekiguchi Shinsuke, the son of an Edo bookseller, from Motozaimokuchō Itchōme in Edo, he took on Torii Kiyonaga as an art name. Although not biologically related to the Torii family, he became head of the group after the death of his adoptive father and teacher Torii Kiyomitsu.

Japan

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