Onoe Kikugorō V as Daiba no Jinzō and Ichikawa Sadanji I as Itamiya Jubei 1883

This woodblock print by Toyohara Kunichika, now at the Art Institute of Chicago, depicts actors in a kabuki scene, dominated by cool blues and greens which evoke a serene yet tense atmosphere. Each panel presents a figure poised with dramatic intensity, emphasizing the artificiality of the stage. Kunichika uses strong, angular lines to define the actors’ features and costumes, reinforcing their exaggerated expressions and gestures. The central panel offers a stark contrast, with the soft, rounded form of the moon set against a distant, silhouetted landscape, creating a sense of depth and theatrical space. The woodblock technique allows for the layering of textures, from the smooth, flat planes of color to the intricate patterns of the actors’ robes. This piece exemplifies how kabuki prints use the semiotic language of costume, makeup, and pose to communicate narrative and character. By focusing on these formalized elements, Kunichika’s work exists not as a window onto reality but as a carefully constructed artifice, one that invites us to consider the conventions of representation and the performance of identity.