Natori Shunsen 名取春仙

Famed for outstanding dancing skills, Nakamura Fukusuke V was an onnagata, or an actor who portrayed female roles. Natori Shunsen depicts the performer with delicate lines, emphasizing the feminine grace that defined Nakamura’s work. The actor is shown in the role of Ohan, a young woman about to commit suicide. Shunsen captures Ohan’s poignant expression as she holds her sleeve close to her lips, her eyes upcast.

As a Shin-hanga (New Print) artist, or a revivalist of the traditional woodblock printing tradition, Shunsen incorporated elements of Western realism in his designs. Here he enlarges the actor’s face to capture their expression.