Uzaemon in the role of Shirai Gonpachi 1915

Editor: Here we have Natori Shunsen’s woodblock print, “Uzaemon in the role of Shirai Gonpachi,” created in 1915. It’s a portrait, almost like a still from a play, and the face seems so expressive, yet… contained. How do you interpret this work? Curator: That containment is key. This print emerges from the artistic and social milieu of Taisho-era Japan, a period grappling with rapid modernization and the preservation of cultural identity. This actor, portraying Shirai Gonpachi, a tragic Edo-period figure, allows us to consider ideas about the construction of masculinity. Who gets to perform the role of "tragic hero," and why? Editor: Interesting, because it’s not necessarily how I immediately read the character. So, the selection of this specific role carries weight? Curator: Absolutely. The historical Gonpachi was a conflicted figure, both criminal and lover. This representation, however, presents a beautified, perhaps even sanitized, version. What does that suggest about the audience's desires and the artist's intentions? Was Shunsen subtly commenting on the theatre’s romanticisation, or complicit in it? Also, let’s think about who was represented at that time, and who wasn't? Editor: So, by looking at this actor and his role within its time, we can understand more about Japan’s relationship with gender, performance, and even its own history. It gives us more insights beyond the individual on stage. Curator: Precisely. The print is not just an image but a layered text reflecting the complex interplay between art, identity, and socio-political context. It helps us reflect critically on power dynamics embedded within cultural narratives. Editor: I see this piece so differently now! Thanks for expanding the narrative around a simple portrait. Curator: It’s in these connections that art becomes a mirror reflecting our own societal values and biases back at us.