The Actor Nakamura Noshio II as the Courtesan Okaru

The onnagata actor Noshio is shown here in the role of the courtesan Okaru (Kanpei’s lover) in the drama “The Treasury of Loyal Retainers” (Kanadehon Chūshingura 仮名手本忠臣蔵), one of the great staples of the Kabuki stage for its dramatic evocations of honor, loyalty and revenge. Staged at the Miyakoza Theater in 1795, Noshio also played the role of Tonase, Kakogawa Honzō’s wife (see MFA, Boston, acc. no. 11.14927). The complex plot of both the earlier puppet play versions and later Kabuki adaptations of the style of the forty-seven rōnin (masterless samurai) was based on historical events. In 1701, the leader of the forty-seven retainers was forced to commit ritual suicide (seppuku) for assaulting Kira, a high-ranking official who had insulted him. The rōnin demonstrated their undiminished loyalty and avenged their leader in 1702 by killing Kira and then committing suicide themselves.

Nakamura Noshio II (1759–1800) was an Osaka-based actor who achieved renown as a waka-onnagata, specializing in young maiden, courtesan, or princess roles. He had a most successful run in Edo from autumn 1794 to autumn 1799, and earned acclaimed as the “Edo’s foremost waka-onnagata” (Edo kusshi no waka-onnagata). He died at a young age, just as he entered his forties.

In 1795, three theaters in Edo performed Chūshingura at the same time, and to commemorate the spectacle, the publisher Iwatoya published a series of at least sixteen ōban-format prints by Shun’ei, each with a full-length portrait of one of the main actors performing at the Miyakoza and Kiriza theaters. None has any inscription, except the artist’s signature and (on most examples) the publisher’s seal, as here. At the time of the performances, Kabuki fans of course would not have had any problem identifying their favorite actors or roles, but nowadays, with prints spread near and far, it’s sometimes a puzzle to reconstruct which is which. In the Met’s collection, see also Shun’ei’s representation of the actor Nakamura Noshio as the courtesan Okaru (acc. no. JP716)