The Actor Ichimura Uzaemon VIII as Oguri Hangan in the play "Mangetsu Oguri Yakata," performed at the Ichimura Theater in the eighth month, 1747 1747

Curator: First impression? That fellow's certainly caught in a reverie, eyes gazing toward some unseen marvel! Editor: He is, isn't he? There's a touch of melancholic yearning to it, as if he's searching for something just out of reach. Well, this is a woodblock print from 1747, titled "The Actor Ichimura Uzaemon VIII as Oguri Hangan in the play 'Mangetsu Oguri Yakata,'" by Torii Kiyomasu II. Curator: The title gives a bit away. A performer, not necessarily himself at all but embodying a role... and note the fence and the bamboo with those paper ornaments. They suggest a festive atmosphere tempered by that wistful expression. Editor: Ukiyo-e! The fleeting world! I find the delicate, almost pastel palette adds to that feeling. Everything feels transient, a whisper of a moment. It's funny, the theatrical nature of this period allows the art to carry many identities at once. Curator: Yes, consider the symbolic weight of theatrical portraiture during the Edo period. Actors were cultural icons, figures of aspiration, vehicles through which anxieties, desires, and societal critiques were expressed. Editor: The fan's design and his formal garment are very beautiful. That simple flower seems full of significance... Do you know what role Oguri Hangan was known for? Curator: Oguri Hangan is a celebrated folk hero whose life unfolds through tragedy, triumph, and, ultimately, spiritual redemption. He is poisoned, left for dead, and miraculously revived. Editor: Aha! And the actor portraying him is, in that very moment, embodying both a known figure and an imagined other... the role allows them to play many roles at once. Even now! It is beautiful that he almost transcends that fence; the eye is guided to the bamboo over the barrier that may limit him from moving past it, and the props hung to its stems look like notes, or little messages of freedom. Curator: Consider then, the resonance. It transcends literal performance. Ichimura, as Oguri, mirrors a shared cultural yearning. What appears to be individual is actually shared and reflected through this very conscious performance. It’s endlessly rich! Editor: A wonderful thought, thank you! A single still image that hints at so much flux... both personally and within the art's ongoing relevance!