The Actor Nakamura Nakazo I as Kakogawa Honzo
| Support Type: | Wood Panel |
| Paint Type: | Ink |
| Current Location: | The Art Institute of Chicago |
"The Actor Nakamura Nakazo I as Kakogawa Honzo..." is an example of ukiyo-e dating back to 1783 and created by the artist Katsukawa Shunsho. It is a color woodblock print in the format of a hosoban, depicting one of the scenes of the world-famous kabuki performance "Kanadehon Chushingura" (The Treasury of Loyal Retainers) that was staged in Edo's Ichimura Theater. The print shows the famous kabuki actor Nakamura Nakazo I performing the part of Kakogawa Honzo – a samurai character, whose plot is very complicated. Honzo is dressed as komuso, which means a Zen Buddhist monk who wanders around the country and begs for alms. What attracts attention in the work is the distinctive outfit of the character: his tengai – a big woven straw hat covering the whole head. The artist Shunsho, known for introducing realistic actor portraits called yakusha-e, portrays the actor Nakazo I with his strong presence on stage and characteristic postures as opposed to generalized stylized faces. This print acts as both a promotional tool and fan merchandise from the Edo period. In the play "Kanadehon Chushingura", Kakogawa Honzo is an intricate counselor who starts off by preventing a tragic incident from taking place, but eventually feels immense guilt owing to his own actions. Kakogawa Honzo pretends to be a traveling komuso monk in order to travel to Kyoto secretly.