The Actor Kataoka Nizaemon VII as the Old Beggar Woman Kurozuka Babā at Adachigahara 1795

Katsukawa Shun'ei created this woodblock print of the actor Kataoka Nizaemon VII around the turn of the 19th century. Here, he is portrayed as the fearsome old beggar woman Kurozuka Babā. This work provides an opportunity to consider the social and cultural role of Kabuki theater in Japan at that time. The exaggerated features and dramatic pose of the actor are visual codes which would have been well understood by audiences of Kabuki theater, an art form which had become popular amongst the merchant classes in Japan. Performances were often held in specially designated theater districts, effectively policed by the shogunate. Woodblock prints of actors were a popular commodity and form of advertising. As art historians, our work is to look into the archives and interpret what these images meant in their own time. What was the relationship between theater, the market, and the authorities? These are just some of the questions we might ask.