Ukiyo-e Kabuki Dancer

This woodblock print is by Utagawa Kunisada.  It is titled "Eight Views of the East: Dew on the Flowers in the Evening Glow at Ryogoku."  This is one of the eight views of a section of Edo (known today as Tokyo), called Ryogoku.  Kunisada was one of the most popular and successful ukiyo-e woodblock print artist in 19th century Japan. His main occupation were woodblock designs of kabuki and actors.

Kabuki is a form of traditional Japanese drama with stylized song, mime, and dance.  Kabuki originates back in during the Edo period (1603-1868). Kabuki theatre was established as a popular type of theatre for the lower social classes.  In this print, Kunisada is depicting a male Kabuki actor portrayed as a woman. The actor's name is Nakamura Utaemon. He is wearing a kimono of many layers. Formal kimonos were comprised of many visible layers and patterns, which dictated a woman's social status, season, and occasion for which the kimono was worn. Kabuki actors dictated what was popular at the time.  The sense of fashion became stronger during the Edo period, and it was common for people to follow what a kabuki actor did.  The multi-layered kimono signifies that it is still cold outside, despite the blooming flower tree behind him. The flowers called cherry blossoms bloom during the end of winter to early spring.  In addition, the actor is wearing a floral layer part of the kimono, denoting that it is around spring time.

Seeing male actors playing female roles isn't foreign to the foreigners. Since in some societies it was considered disgraceful for a woman to go on stage, only men could become actors. Similarly, men took over female roles when women were banned performing during the Edo period.  Women were banned from appearing in kabuki due to the widespread prostitution of actresses and violent quarrels. Kabuki was restored in the Edo period in which more modern styles were adapted. It was the norm after 1629 that actors were performed only by men. Kabuki actors who specialized in female roles were called onnagata.  

In this print, the actor is in a mie pose, which is a moment frozen in time expressing a character's high emotional state through gestures and body movements. The actor in the print is expressing an emotion of surprise or shock.  By the way the actor's hands are lifted as if he is holding something, and how his gaze is fixed on his covered hands leaves the viewer curious and confused. Since the expression is a bit exaggerated, the actor's eyes widely open and his mouth slightly apart, it gives off a bit of a humorous element to this depiction because there is nothing to be seen to be interpreted as shocking or surprising. Then I focused on the other parts of this print, and saw writing to the left and right.  The writing is a poem celebrating the beauty of the cherry blossoms of the evening.  I went about researching the significance of cherry blossoms, and discovered that the flowers connotes a form of festivity and celebration.  At the time, cherry blossoms were seen as a metaphor for life.  It is praised for its delicate and beautiful appearance yet ephemeral existence, symbolizing the brief and transient nature of life. It was common that people ate and drank in cheerful feasts under these trees. 

What I got out of this print is that the actor was in the midst of carrying laundry baskets when suddenly a flower had fallen off the tree and landed on his kimono. 

The size of this print is oban (10w x 15h).  The quality of this print was great, nor was it poor.  There were a few smudges and noticeable fading of ink. Some colors were more concentrated in some areas than others. There were also some colors that went outside the borders of lines.