The Kabuki Actor Nakamura Utaemon III (Shikan) as Ishikawa Goemon
Shunkōsai Hokushū 春好斎北洲 Japanese
Not on view
This dynamic portrait by the Osaka-based artist Shunkōsai Hokushū captures the celebrated Kabuki actor Utaemon III (1778–1838) in the role of the legendary bandit-hero Ishikawa Goemon, here disguised in the stolen robes and cap of an imperial messenger. Capturing a scene from the play The Golden Gate and the Paulownia Crest (Kinmon gosan no kiri), Goemon hatched a plot to steal the Imperial Seal and thereby realize his dictatorial ambitions to eventually seize control of the Palace and rule the country.