The Actor Segawa Kikunojo I as a courtesan
Ishikawa Toyonobu
1742–1752
- Medium
- Hand-colored woodblock print; vertical oban diptych, beni-e
- Dimensions
- 69.6 × 25.2 cm (27 1/2 × 10 in.)
- Genre
- woodblock print
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago
Tags
printasian artJapanese (culture or style)woodblock print
About
This is probably a portrait of the actor who played the courtesan Nishikigi in the play A Group of Sumo Wresters of the Izu Peninsula, which was performed at the Nakamura theater in December 1747. Since women were prohibited from acting onstage, female roles were taken by men called onnagata. The actor Segawa Kikunojo I was one of the most famous onnagata of the time. His crest (mon) appears on his sleeve.
