Actor Ichikawa Danjūrō V in a Shibaraku Role c. 1788

Katsukawa Shunsho painted this image of the actor Ichikawa Danjūrō V, sometime in the late 18th century, using ink and color on paper. It’s important to understand that this is more than just a portrait of a famous actor. This work engages with the Edo period’s vibrant Kabuki theater culture, a form of entertainment that often challenged the strict social norms of the time. Shunsho was a leading artist in the *ukiyo-e* tradition, prints and paintings of the floating world. The image uses visual codes that would have been easily readable by contemporary audiences. Danjūrō’s exaggerated makeup and dramatic pose, along with the two swords, identify him in the *Shibaraku* role, a stock character known for superhuman strength who intervenes to save the day. Kabuki theater was a popular, and at times subversive, form of expression, offering a space to question authority and celebrate the common person. By studying the history of Kabuki and *ukiyo-e* prints, we can better understand the social and cultural context in which this image was created. The role of the historian, then, is to look at art as a product of its time, shaped by the forces of society and institutions.