Print 1800 - 1865

This print was made by Utagawa Kunisada in Japan, but we don't know exactly when. Kunisada was a leading designer of ukiyo-e woodblock prints in 19th-century Edo, now Tokyo. The image presents us with an actor in what appears to be a domestic interior, holding a sword. One of the main functions of ukiyo-e prints was the advertisement of the Kabuki theatre, a very important cultural institution at this time. The print gives us some sense of what a Kabuki set might have looked like. The print also indicates the close relationship between the theatre and the wider urban culture in Japan. The cultural historian can learn much about the rituals and fashions of the time, through the careful study of these mass produced images. We can see the popularization of samurai culture through its theatrical representation, even as the samurai class was becoming less socially significant. The meaning of this print, like any other, is contingent on its original social context, and the work of historians helps us understand that context better.