The Actor Nakamura Utaemon III as Inanoya Hanbē
Shunkōsai Hokushū 春好斎北洲 Japanese
Not on view
One of the great “all-around actors” (kaneru yakusha) of the Osaka stage who could play any type of role—male or female, hero or villain—Nakamura Utaemon III (1778–1838) is captured in a dramatic bust portrait of the townsman turned samurai Inanoya Hanbē. The accompanying poem, probably by a member of a fan club, praises the actor:
Mirukara ni
horeke mo sasuga
meijin no
shi-uchi wa sate mo
yoi otokoburi
—Suihendo
Even at first glance,
he’s so captivating—
truly a skilled actor,
whose technique, it’s true,
makes him seem so dashing.
(Trans. John T. Carpenter)
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