Nakamura Kanzaburô XVII as Miuranosuke, from the series Flowers of the Modern Stage
Ōta Masamitsu, Nakamura Kanzaburô XVII as Miuranosuke, from the series Flowers of the Modern Stage, 1954, color woodblock print on paper, Gift of Mrs. Fay Kramer, © unknown, research required, 91.48.1J
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- Title
Nakamura Kanzaburô XVII as Miuranosuke, from the series Flowers of the Modern Stage
- Related Titles
series title: Gendai butai geika (Flowers of the Modern Stage)
- Artist
- Related People
- Date
1954
- Period
Japan: Shōwa period (1926-1989)
- Medium
color woodblock print on paper
- Dimensions (H x W x D)
image: 14 3/4 in x 9 13/16 in; sheet: 17 in x 10 13/16 in
- Collection Area
Asian Art; Graphic Arts
- Category
Prints
Japanese Modern Prints
- Object Type
relief print
- Culture
Japanese
- Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Fay Kramer
- Accession Number
91.48.1J
- Copyright
© unknown, research required
- Terms
Nakamura Kanzaburô XVII (1909-1988) was a kabuki actor of the mid-20th century who performed under that stage name from 1950 to the early 1970s. He was amazingly versatile, taking on roles of all types, and said to have performed more than 800 roles during his lifetime. He is depicted here as the warrior Miuranosuke in the play, “Kinugawa Mura Kankyo (A Cottage in Kinugawa Village).” (“Kunugawa Village” is actually the third act of a much longer play, “Kamakura sandaiki (A Tale of Three Generations Set in the Kamakura Period),” originally written for the puppet theater in 1781). As the play opens, Miuranosuke’s betrothed, a beautiful woman of noble rank, is seen caring for his ailing mother in an isolated rural cottage. Miuranosuke, who had been wounded in battle, approaches the stage from the hanamichi—a platform that extends out into the theater, just over the heads of the audience. He staggers along and collapses, exhausted, at the cottage door.
