{"product_id":"mg1812-kunisada-nakamura-utaemon-iv-as-a-ghost-japanese-woodblock-print","title":"Kunisada - Nakamura Utaemon IV as a Ghost","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUtagawa Kunisada\u003c\/strong\u003e (1786-1865)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDate: \u003c\/strong\u003e1852\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMedium: \u003c\/strong\u003eWoodblock Print. Oban\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: \u003c\/strong\u003eUnknown\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGenre: \u003c\/strong\u003eUkiyo-e, Yakusha-e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis memorial portrait commemorates the celebrated kabuki actor Nakamura Utaemon IV, who died in February 1852 and was especially renowned for his ghost roles. Shortly after his death, Kunisada designed this striking image showing Utaemon in the dual role of the ghost of Iga Shikibunojō Mitsumune and the samurai Iga no Kotarō, a scene from the play Meiyo Jinsei Roku performed at the Ichimura Theater in Edo.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe composition captures a climactic moment. The samurai turns sharply, staring over his shoulder with tense determination, a scroll clutched in his extended hand. He wears a black kimono patterned with a golden dragon and swirling clouds over armor, his hair pulled back with loose strands rising above his brow. Behind him looms the blue-tinged ghost, hands raised in an esoteric Buddhist mudra, long hair falling over his shoulders. Both figures display the dramatic mie expression - one eye crossed at an emotional peak - a hallmark of kabuki performance. A small supernatural flame flickers in the darkened sky, heightening the otherworldly atmosphere.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIssued as a memorial print, the design emphasizes the spectral presence that made Utaemon famous. The controlled gesture of the ghost, the careful differentiation between the living and the supernatural, and the charged theatricality of the scene together form a powerful tribute to one of Edo’s most admired stage performers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition:\u003c\/strong\u003e Very g\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eood color and impression. Margins as shown. Not backed. It's hard to find this well-known print in this good a condition.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mie Gallery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43879517159502,"sku":"MG1812","price":490.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0095\/7602\/2094\/files\/mg1812-Kunisada-Nakamura-Utaemon-IV-as-a-Ghost-japanese-woodblock-print.jpg?v=1781822242","url":"https:\/\/miegallery.com\/products\/mg1812-kunisada-nakamura-utaemon-iv-as-a-ghost-japanese-woodblock-print","provider":"Mie Gallery","version":"1.0","type":"link"}