Three Actors on Stage: Kumagai Naozane
1858
Medium
Triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
Each: 14 1/4 x 9 7/8 in. (36.2 x 25.1 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture
Japan
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Lincoln Kirstein, 1985
Accession Number
JP3684a–c
Tags
Art Historical Context
This vibrant triptych by Utagawa Kunisada captures three actors mid-performance in a kabuki scene centered on the warrior Kumagai Naozane. Created in 1858 during Japan’s late Edo period, the work exemplifies ukiyo-e printmaking, a popular art form that brought the excitement of the theater to everyday audiences through affordable, colorful woodblock prints. Kunisada, one of the most prolific masters of actor portraits (yakusha-e), skillfully conveys dramatic poses, expressive faces, and elaborate costumes across the three sheets, allowing the composition to unfold like the stage itself. The m...
About the Artist
Utagawa Kunisada · 1786–1864
**Utagawa Kunisada (1786–1865)** Born in 1786 in the Honjo district of Edo (modern Tokyo), Utagawa Kunisada hailed from a family with a hereditary ferry-boat service that provided financial stability, allowing him to pursue art from a young age. His father, an amateur poet of note, died shortly after his birth, leaving young Sumida Shōgorō (Kunisada's childhood name) to nurture his evident talent...