The Actor Iwai Hanshiro IV as Lady Yaehata in the Play Sanga no Sho Haru no Hanayome, Performed at the Kiri Theater in the Eleventh Month, 1787 c. 1787

This woodblock print by Katsukawa Shunko, made in 1787, depicts the actor Iwai Hanshiro IV in the role of Lady Yaehata. The print offers a window into the vibrant world of Kabuki theater in 18th century Japan, a space where gender roles were both performed and subverted. Here, we see a male actor embodying a female character, a common practice in Kabuki due to restrictions on women performing on stage. The actor's elaborate costume and stylized pose reflect the highly theatrical nature of Kabuki, where artifice and performance were celebrated. Consider the layers of identity at play: a man portraying a woman, both existing within the framework of a dramatic narrative. How does this blurring of gender lines challenge or reinforce societal norms? Katsukawa’s print invites us to reflect on the fluidity of identity and the power of performance to both reflect and shape our understanding of ourselves and others.