Nakamura Utaemon III farewell performance at the Nakamura Theatre in Edo

Catalog note / 解説

This print was published to mark the farewell performance of actor Nakamura Utaemon III (1778-1838) at the end of three years working in Edo (present-day Tokyo). The actor, who worked primarily in the Kyoto-Osaka area and was also known by his pen name Shikan, is shown bowing to his audience at the fore-front of the middle panel. Behind him, and on the panels to his right and left, he is pictured in nine different roles. The text at the top of the panels recounts his parting speech, in which he explains how much he regrets leaving. One reason for going home, he says, is because his elderly mother is unwell. Two years later he returned to Edo for another two years, where, in the course of hi…