Wakashu in the Guise of Komusō c. 1730s

Okumura Masanobu’s Wakashu in the Guise of Komusō uses ink and color on paper to construct a world of layered meanings and subtle inversions. The print presents a young man dressed as a komusō, a mendicant priest, but the elegance of his robes and the artful arrangement of his garments reveal the figure's true identity. Notice how the artist employs contrasting textures and patterns to destabilize conventional notions of identity and status. The coarse weave of the komusō’s basket hat sits in stark contrast to the delicate floral motifs adorning the wakashu’s kimono. Masanobu is playing with semiotics, using visual cues to create a complex interplay between appearance and reality, revealing the constructed nature of social roles. Ultimately, the artist uses the formal qualities of line and color to invite viewers to question fixed meanings, revealing how art can be a space for exploring shifting categories of gender and social identity.