Two Men, One Playing a Flute 1742 - 1815

Torii Kiyonaga created this woodblock print titled “Two Men, One Playing a Flute.” It’s a window into the Edo period, when the rigid social hierarchy of Japan was subtly being challenged by a rising merchant class, and a thirst for art and entertainment. The print depicts two figures traditionally played by male actors, known as onnagata, celebrated for their performances as women. Kiyonaga was known for portraying idealized, statuesque figures, offering a vision of feminine beauty that was both admired and unattainable. These gender-bending representations allowed space for exploring the fluidity of identity and the constructed nature of gender roles. The flute player, with their delicate stance, and the companion, with their gentle gaze, invite us to consider how performance shapes our understanding of ourselves and others. In a society bound by strict rules, art provided a stage for challenging norms, even if only for the duration of a play or a print. The artwork invites a deeper questioning of identity.