The Actors Ichikawa Ebizō V as the Outlaw Nippon Daemon (right) and Kataoka Gadō as Tokushima Gohei

The Actors Ichikawa Ebizō V as the Outlaw Nippon Daemon (right) and Kataoka Gadō as Tokushima Gohei

Gosōtei Hirosada 五粽亭広貞

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This print commemorates a performance of Ebizō V (shown on the right), one of the greatest Kabuki actors of the Edo stage of the nineteenth century, during a time he was performing in Osaka. It shows him as Nippon Daemon, one of the great roles of Japanese theater, waylaying a surprised opponent. In the world of Kabuki, Nippon Daemon was the leader of a band of honorable thieves who only stole from those who made money through corrupt means.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Actors Ichikawa Ebizō V as the Outlaw Nippon Daemon (right) and Kataoka Gadō as Tokushima GoheiThe Actors Ichikawa Ebizō V as the Outlaw Nippon Daemon (right) and Kataoka Gadō as Tokushima GoheiThe Actors Ichikawa Ebizō V as the Outlaw Nippon Daemon (right) and Kataoka Gadō as Tokushima GoheiThe Actors Ichikawa Ebizō V as the Outlaw Nippon Daemon (right) and Kataoka Gadō as Tokushima GoheiThe Actors Ichikawa Ebizō V as the Outlaw Nippon Daemon (right) and Kataoka Gadō as Tokushima Gohei

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.