Ogura Imitation of the One Hundred Poems

This woodblock print, *Ogura Imitation of the One Hundred Poems*, was created by Utagawa Kunisada, an artist active in Japan during the first half of the 19th century. Kunisada was a prolific designer of ukiyo-e prints, a popular art form of the Edo period, often depicting the licensed pleasure districts. Here, Kunisada presents a pastiche of poetry, portraiture, and Kabuki theatre. A poem is inscribed above an image of the poet, Saigyō Hōshi. Below, the actor, Ichimura Uzaemon XII, appears in character with a female figure enacting a scene from a Kabuki play, perhaps one where gender and identity are blurred for dramatic effect. Kunisada was known for his portraits of Kabuki actors, celebrating their performances. The emotional intensity of the actor’s face, combined with the beauty of the female figure, creates a heightened sense of drama, reflecting the performative nature of identity in both the theatre and society. This print serves as a reminder of the fluidity of identity, and its representation in the cultural sphere.