The Actor Segawa Kikunojo III as Osaku in the Play Sayo no Nakayama Hiiki no Tsurigane, Performed at the Nakamura Theater in the Eleventh Month, 1790 c. 1790

Katsukawa Shun'ei made this woodblock print in Japan in 1790, showing the actor Segawa Kikunojo III in the role of Osaku. Here we see a male actor who specialized in female roles, known as an onnagata, in a moment from a Kabuki play. The Kabuki theatre was one of the main cultural institutions of Edo-period Japan, closely tied to the rising merchant class. These prints were a form of advertisement for the plays, and they also functioned as celebrity portraits. The Tokugawa government had strict sumptuary laws at the time, dictating what people of different classes could wear. Kabuki actors and courtesans were able to push the boundaries of fashion, and these images were a way for the merchant class to keep up with the latest trends. Researching Kabuki theatre history and Edo-period social customs can give us valuable insights into the cultural significance of this image. Studying the institutions surrounding the art helps us understand its social role at the time.