Artwork
玉柳亭重春画 三代目尾上菊五郎・三代目中村歌右衛門 『義経千本桜』|Kabuki Actors Onoe Kikugorō III as Shizuka Gozen and Nakamura Utaemon III as Kitsune Tadanobu, in the play Yoshitsune senbon zakura (The Thousand Cherry Trees of Yoshitsune)

玉柳亭重春画 三代目尾上菊五郎・三代目中村歌右衛門 『義経千本桜』|Kabuki Actors Onoe Kikugorō III as Shizuka Gozen and Nakamura Utaemon III as Kitsune Tadanobu, in the play Yoshitsune senbon zakura (The Thousand Cherry Trees of Yoshitsune) is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Ryūsai Shigeharu. It dates from 1830 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This diptych of woodblock prints depicts two Kabuki actors in character, created by Gyokuryūtei Shigeharu in 1830.
About this work
Overview
This diptych of woodblock prints depicts two Kabuki actors in character, created by Gyokuryūtei Shigeharu in 1830. The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds the work.
Subject & Meaning
The print shows Onoe Kikugorō III as Shizuka Gozen and Nakamura Utaemon III as Kitsune Tadanobu from the play Yoshitsune senbon zakura. The actors' contrasting expressions and attire convey their characters' distinct emotions and roles.
Technique & Style
Vibrant colors and bold lines emphasize the actors against patterned backgrounds. The use of distinctive face paint, costumes, and accessories like fans and flowers helps to convey the characters' personalities and traits, characteristic of Kabuki theater.
Artist & collection
Artist
Ryūsai Shigeharu (柳窗重春/柳斎重春) (1802–1853) was an Osaka-based Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock print artist active during the first half of the nineteenth century.









