Memorial Portrait of the Actor Nakamura Tamashichi

Memorial Portrait of the Actor Nakamura Tamashichi

Enjaku 猿雀

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

By convention, “death prints” (shini-e) commemorating the passing of an actor usually show him garbed in light blue court robes. Nakamura Tamashichi (1836–1860) was an Osaka actor of great promise, whose untimely death at the age of twenty-four resulted in an outpouring of grief by Kabuki fans. Several memorial prints were issued, both by anonymous amateur artists as well as deluxe prints exhibiting the finest printing techniques, as this example by Enjaku.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Memorial Portrait of the Actor Nakamura TamashichiMemorial Portrait of the Actor Nakamura TamashichiMemorial Portrait of the Actor Nakamura TamashichiMemorial Portrait of the Actor Nakamura TamashichiMemorial Portrait of the Actor Nakamura Tamashichi

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.