The Actor Bando Hikosaburo III in the Role of Kanshojo

Katsukawa Shun'ei 勝川春英

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

In a scene from Bird of the Capital: Komachi of the East (Miyakodori Azuma Komachi), Shun'ei portrays the holy hermit Narukami in the climactic moment when he discovers that Princess Taema (not depicted here) has released a rain dragon that he had imprisoned below a waterfall. In his rage, Narukami flips back the top part of his white robes to reveal a different costume, patterned with angry flames. But, having been seduced by the princess, Narukami had lost his magical power and was not able to stop the rain.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art