Actor TAMANAZAWA SEIJIRO AS A FEMALE WATER-CARRIER c. 18th century

Editor: This woodblock print by Katsukawa Shunshō depicts the actor Tamanazawa Seijūrō as a female water carrier. The figure seems so poised, even burdened with those buckets. What story do you think Shunshō is trying to tell? Curator: Perhaps the story is less about literal water carrying and more about transformation. Think of the actor embodying a role, shedding his own skin. It’s a beautiful dance between reality and illusion. Do you see it in the curve of the actor's brow, a hint of the masculine beneath the feminine disguise? Editor: I hadn’t considered that at all. It’s almost as if the artist is inviting us to see beyond the surface. Curator: Precisely! Art often holds a mirror to the soul. We see what we're ready to see, don't we? Editor: This makes me appreciate the fluidity of identity and representation. Curator: And that, my friend, is the real treasure hidden in plain sight.