Background
Shunsen Natori was born Natori Yoshinosuke on February 7, 1886 in Yamanashi Prefecture, the fifth son of a silk merchant. The family moved to Tokyo after Shunsen’s father lost his business.
名取春仙
Shunsen Natori was born Natori Yoshinosuke on February 7, 1886 in Yamanashi Prefecture, the fifth son of a silk merchant. The family moved to Tokyo after Shunsen’s father lost his business.
In Tokyo, Shunsen had the opportunity to begin his artistic training.
He developed an interest in kabuki actor portraits while working as an illustrator for the newspaper Asahi Shimbun. During this time, he had the opportunity to meet the publisher Watanabe Shōzaburō, who was the primary force behind the shin-hanga movement.
In 1925, Natori and Watanabe worked together on a series of 36 actor portraits. This series contains some of Natori’s finest kabuki designs. Watanabe lavishly produced each print in a limited edition of 150 and sold them only by subscription. The series lasted through 1929, followed by a supplemental series of 15 actor prints produced through 1931.
Natori’s actor portraits were mainly in the ōkubi-e (large head) format which allowed him to focus on the expression and emotions of the character’s face.
Natori Shunsen continued to work as an artist in the kabuki theater, but did not design any other actor prints until the early 1950s. From 1951 to 1954, he again collaborated with Watanabe on another series of 30 actor prints. Like the earlier series, these designs were beautifully printed and are very expressive, especially the ōkubi-e portrait.
Morita Kan'ya as Kitsune Tadanobu in Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura
Onoe Kikugoro as Omatsuri Sanshichi
Ritsuko in the role of Okon
Hanayagi Jusuke as the Fox Spirit in Kokaji
Ichikawa Sadanji as Narukami
Gorō in the role of Kyūzaemon
Sawamura Sojoro as Narihira Reizo
Nakamura Tomijuro as Kamuro in the Dance of Hane no Kamuro
Matsumoto Koshiro as Watanabe no Tsuna
Onoe Baiko as Aburaya Okon
Maiko Preparing Coiffure
Kotarō in the role of Yayoi
Lion Dance
Taminosuke in the role of Otsuma
Gion no Nakako
Sawamura Gennosuke as Nikki Danjo
Morita Kanya as Genta Kagesuse
Nakamura Ganjiro as Tojuro
Nakamura Utaemon as Hanako in Musume Dojoji
Study of the actor Nakamura Kichiemon as Otokonosuke
Ichiikawa Chusha in the role of Mitsuhide
Nakamura Ganjiro as Kamiya Jihei
Kitaoka Nizaemon as Wakasanosuke in Chushingura
Ichikawa Sansho as Umeo in Kurumabiki
Mizutani Yaeko as Tsubaki-hime in La Traviata
Ichimura Uzaemon as Naoji
Otani Tomoemon as Kanshojo
Ichikawa Sadanji as Moroboshi Chuya
Bando Jusaburo in the role of Seigoro
Nakamura Fukusuke in the role of Soshichi, a smuggler
Kichiemon in the role of Yura Hyogo
Otani Tomoemon as the Spirit of Snow
Matsumoto Koshiro VII as Benkei
Woman Combing Hair
Baikō in the role of Ibara
Ichikawa Sadanji as Yoshiro in the Dance Modori-Kago
Ichikawa Ebiso as Hayano Kanpei in Chushingura
Onoe Shoroku as Priest in Tsuchigumo
Nakamura Tokizo as Taruya Osen
Nakamura Fukusuke as Ohan
Ichikawa Sadanji as Sukune Taro
Kataoka Nizaemon as Honzo
Nakamura Ganjiro as Oman
He was married and had a daughter.
His twenty-two year old daughter died of pneumonia in 1958. He and his wife committed suicide by poison at their daughter’s grave two years later.