Candies with Crests of Popular Actors including Kikugorō, Mitsugoro, Hanshiro, Koshirō, Utaemon and DanjÅ«rō, with poems by Uramichi no Chikaki and Hinoki Butei c. early 19th century

Editor: Here we have Kubo Shunman's "Candies with Crests of Popular Actors..." a print featuring poems and actor crests. I am intrigued by how everyday consumables are combined with emblems of celebrity; what should we make of it? Curator: Notice how the candies themselves, likely produced for mass consumption, bear the marks of elite performers. This conflation blurs lines between high and low culture. How does the print's creation itself – the woodblock process, the paper, the ink – contribute to this interplay of value and accessibility? Editor: So, the materials and method are just as important as the image depicted. I'll definitely look at art differently now. Curator: Indeed. Focusing on the "how" and "what" something is made of, and its social context, often unlocks deeper understandings.