The Actor Nakamura Tomijuro as Bijomaru in the Drama "Kikujido" Shuen no Iwaya" 1763 - 1783

Curator: Looking at this woodblock print from between 1763 and 1783 by Katsukawa Shunko, titled "The Actor Nakamura Tomijuro as Bijomaru in the Drama 'Kikujido' Shuen no Iwaya'", I'm struck by the serenity of the figure. There's a stillness, a kind of meditative calm. Editor: The color palette is definitely contributing to that feeling, isn't it? The subdued pinks and yellows... and all that wonderful texture created by the woodblock printing technique! I’m particularly interested in the material choices here—paper, ink, wood—and how they serve a specific function in disseminating this image widely. Curator: Precisely! Woodblock prints, or ukiyo-e, like this one were so vital in shaping cultural memory. Images of actors were highly sought after. Notice the drum the figure is holding. The drum links to the world of performance. Beyond the literal, though, instruments themselves were connected to emotional or spiritual journeys. It’s hard to separate this from our perception of music and expression today. Editor: The materiality also points to class and economics of image making, too. Woodblock prints existed in multiple copies, a medium very unlike the tradition of painting, for instance. How were those original woodblocks created? What was the training? How did this impact design choices for the artist and craftsperson? Curator: Thinking about Katsukawa Shunko’s career during the Edo period and the larger framework, his work gives a face to familiar, evolving social identities of his time. The emotion of this work lives within a matrix of cultural knowledge. Bijomaru embodies compassion, and loyalty. His journey would’ve been deeply meaningful to those engaging with it through theatrical representations, in print and elsewhere. Editor: Right, and considering how those prints circulated, consumed within an increasingly urban culture! Ukiyo-e are so evocative, but grounding it in the realities of its production keeps it from feeling purely romanticized, right? What a balancing act between art and manufacture! Curator: Precisely the tension that breathes life into it! The figure serves as a mirror to the aspirations and emotional landscape of the viewer. What more could you want? Editor: Well, as always, this deep dive has provided an interesting tension between symbol and commodity... Thanks!