Nakamura Shikan IV as the Fishmonger Aratota

Nakamura Shikan IV as the Fishmonger Aratota

Hasegawa Sadamasu 長谷川貞升

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This “large-head” portrait captures the energetic presence of the renowned Osaka actor Shikan IV. He is shown in the role of the humble fishmonger from a performance of Rapeseed Blossom Rites at Tenmangū Shrine held at the Naka Theater in Osaka in 1841. The play is one of the popular dramatizations of the life of courtier-poet Sugawara no Michizane, who was unjustly exiled from the imperial court and eventually deified to quell his angry spirit.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Nakamura Shikan IV as the Fishmonger AratotaNakamura Shikan IV as the Fishmonger AratotaNakamura Shikan IV as the Fishmonger AratotaNakamura Shikan IV as the Fishmonger AratotaNakamura Shikan IV as the Fishmonger Aratota

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.