Actor Nakamura Utaemon III (Shikan) as Kyôgoku Takumi

Catalog note / 解説

Although Edo (later renamed Tokyo) was the centre of <i>ukiyo-e</i> printmaking, Osaka also flourished, particularly in the first half of the 19th century, when artists such as Shunkōsai Hokushū were active. This particular print portrays the actor Nakamura Utaemon III as the master swordsman Kyōgoku Takumi, one of four roles he played in his farewell performance in the play <i>Hikosan Gongen Chikai no Sukedachi, </i>performed at the Kado-za Theatre in March 1825. The story relates how Kyogoku Takumi murders Yoshioka Ichimisai after the latter defeats him in a test of swordsmanship, and how Yoshioka's daughter Osono sets out to avenge her father's death. Utaemon gave this retirement perform…