Actor Nakamura Shikan II as Satake Shinjuro  Actor Nakamura Shikan II as Satake Shinjūrō is an "ukiyo-e" woodblock print by Osaka-based late Edo period print designer (fl. 1826–1827). It depicts celebrated "kabuki" actor Nakamura Shikan II as a character in the play "Keisei Asoyama Sakura". The print belongs to the permanent collection of the Prince Takamado Gallery of Japanese Art in the Royal Ontario Museum, Canada. Very little biographical information is available for Shungyōsai Hokusei. Although one source identifies his life dates as 1818 to 1829, most biographical records simply date his period of activity as being sometime between 1826 and 1828. Known predominantly for his "yakusha-e" kabuki actor portraits, he is named as a pupil of Shunkōsai Hokushū [春好斎北洲] (fl. 1810–1832) on one of the latter's prints. Although associated with the "gō" Shungyōsai, Shungyōsai Hokusei is usually referred to as Hokusei. One reason for this is to distinguish him from two other Osaka-based ukiyo-e artists who shared the same "gō": Shungyōsai I (c. 1760–1823; fl. 1790s–1820s) and his son Shungyōsai II (n.d.–1867; fl. 1820s–1860s). Works by Shungyōsai Hokusei belong to the permanent collections of museums such as the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, the Royal Ontario Museum, Central Saint Martins Museum and Study Collection, the Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum of Waseda University. Nakamura Shikan II (1796–1852) was born Hirano Kichitarō, the son of an Edo tea house owner. In 1807, however, he was adopted by his uncle, a performer of traditional Japanese dance, and at age 15 he became the apprentice of kabuki actor Nakamura Utaemon III. As a "kaneru yakusha", Shikan II was highly versatile, capable of performing a wide variety of male and female roles, often assuming multiple roles within the same performance. He was particularly admired for his dancing, his roles in "jidaimono" history plays, and his "large... stature... fine eyes and good features."