Actor Tsu-uchi Monsaburo in a Woman's Role in the Play "Three Instances of Good Fortune (Sanpuku Tsui)" 1720 - 1740

This ukiyo-e print by Tamura Sadanobu depicts the actor Tsu-uchi Monsaburo in a woman's role in the play "Three Instances of Good Fortune (Sanpuku Tsui)". The print shows Monsaburo standing in a room with a sliding door and a lattice window, with a complex and highly patterned kimono that includes a landscape with a bridge in the skirt, a sign of the actor's skill. This genre of ukiyo-e print, known as yakusha-e, was specifically dedicated to portraying the actors and scenes of Kabuki, a popular form of Japanese theatre. The detailed portrayal of the character and their costume reflects the importance of these theatrical figures to Japanese culture in the Edo period (1603-1868).