The Actor Ichikawa Ichizō III as Nozarashi Gosuke - Utagawa Kunisada

A striking woodblock print by Utagawa Kunisada featuring the actor Ichikawa Ichizō III, styled as the legendary hero Shi Jin.

This woodblock print by Utagawa Kunisada depicts the kabuki actor Ichikawa Ichizō III in the role of Nozarashi Gosuke. The composition is part of the series A Modern Water Margin, which draws parallels between contemporary kabuki performers and the legendary outlaws of the Chinese classic novel, The Water Margin. In this specific iteration, the actor is likened to the character Shi Jin, known as the Nine Dragoned due to his extensive body art.

Kunisada, a prolific master of the Utagawa school, employs a bold graphic style to capture the intensity of the theatrical performance. The actor is shown in profile, his gaze directed away from the viewer, which adds a sense of dramatic tension to the portrait. The most striking element is the detailed depiction of the dragon tattoo covering the character's skin, which contrasts with the dark, atmospheric background. The use of colour is restrained, relying on deep purples, muted tones, and the stark white of the actor's skin to create a balanced visual hierarchy.

The print demonstrates the technical precision of mid-nineteenth-century Japanese woodblock printing. The lines are clean and deliberate, defining the contours of the actor's face and the complex patterns of his costume. The inclusion of cartouches containing the series title and the actor's name provides necessary context, typical of the genre. This work functions as both a record of a specific theatrical production and a piece of popular culture, reflecting the public fascination with kabuki actors and the literary themes of the period. The print is a fine example of the actor-portrait tradition, where the identity of the performer is merged with the persona of the fictional hero, creating a layered narrative within a single frame.