Actor Otani Tokuji AS A MAID SERVANT Edo period,

Curator: This is a woodblock print by Katsukawa Shunshō, from the 18th century, titled, "Actor Otani Tokuji as a Maid Servant". Editor: There's something compelling about the direct gaze, the way she holds that box. It feels incredibly intimate. Curator: Right, Shunshō was a master of *yakusha-e*, actor portraits, and they played a vital role in Edo-period popular culture, shaping perceptions of actors' personas and roles. The actor in the print is dressed as a maid servant. Editor: The repetition of faces on the Kimono really grabs my attention. Each a rose with a face? The layering of symbols is dense. It makes me think about identity, particularly the blurred lines of performance, and how cultural values and expectations shape the individual. Curator: Precisely. These prints functioned as publicity, but also captured the cultural currents of the time. The popularity of the Kabuki theater drove artistic innovation, with artists like Shunshō developing techniques for capturing likeness and conveying character. Editor: It's almost like the actor is wearing a mask made up of many other faces. I wonder what the contemporary audience made of it? A reflection on the actor's many roles, perhaps? Curator: I think so, yes. These images were carefully constructed to promote particular images of the actor. Editor: I’ll never look at Kabuki the same way again. Curator: Absolutely. Art is like that, isn't it?