The Actor Ichikawa Danjuro V and his attendant, from an untitled series of prints showing Actors in private life c. 1783

Torii Kiyonaga created this woodblock print of the actor Ichikawa Danjuro V and his attendant in Japan. The image belongs to a series showing actors in their private lives and gives us insight into the social status of performers in Japanese society. Here, the codes of dress are significant, as the actor is shown in fine robes, holding a fan, and with his hair carefully styled in the fashion of the upper classes. The attendant is dressed in more modest garb, with a striped kimono and a less elaborate hairstyle. The presence of the sword suggests the samurai class, to which actors did not belong, but it may also be a theatrical prop relating to Danjuro’s stage persona. The print suggests that the actor is a man of wealth and status, but is also aware of the social divide between himself and his attendant. Careful historical research into the dress codes and the theater institutions of Japan, can reveal the complex dynamics of class and status in Japanese society. This print is a reminder that art is always made in a specific social and institutional context.