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

Discussion

FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

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.

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