The Actor Nakamura Matsue III as Keisei Agemaki c. early 19th century

Shunshosai Hokucho created this woodblock print of the actor Nakamura Matsue the Third as Keisei Agemaki. It was created in Japan, sometime between 1822 and 1830. Hokucho was working within the cultural milieu of the Edo period, which saw the rise of the merchant class and with it, new forms of popular entertainment like Kabuki theater. Kabuki allowed for the exploration, and at times the transgression, of gender roles, social norms, and class boundaries. Here, the male actor Nakamura Matsue the Third embodies the character of the courtesan Agemaki. The print is filled with symbols and signifiers: from the dragon on the robe to the cards that depict scenes from other plays. The actor's gaze is intense, and their posture suggests a figure caught in a moment of contemplation or anticipation. The print invites us to consider the fluidity of identity, as well as the complex interplay between the individual, the social role, and the constructed image. Hokucho offers us not just a portrait, but a window into a world of performance, identity, and desire.