Acteur Onoe Tamizo in vrouwenrol 1768 - 1772

Ippitsusai Bunchō made this woodblock print of the actor Onoe Tamizo in a female role sometime in the late 18th century. The world of Kabuki theater in Japan was a complex social institution, closely tied to urban culture, commerce, and hierarchies of celebrity. Here, Onoe Tamizo, a male actor, is represented playing a female character, reflecting the gendered conventions of Kabuki. The print’s style, Ukiyo-e, meaning “pictures of the floating world,” captured the ephemeral pleasures of urban life, including theater. The print format allowed for wider distribution and commodification of actors' images, contributing to their fame and the theater's popularity. This image offers insights into the social and cultural dynamics of Edo-period Japan, including the representation of gender, the commercialization of art, and the role of theater in shaping public life. To understand it fully, one needs to research the history of Kabuki, the conventions of Ukiyo-e, and the social context of Edo-period Japan.