The Actor Onoe Matsusuke I as a Mendicant Monk in the Joruri "Midarezaki Hana no Irogoromo" (Colorful Cloth Profusely Flowered), from Part Two of Act Six of the Play Keisei Ide no Yamabuki (Courtesan: Kerria Roses at Ide) (?), Performed at the Nakamura Theater from the Sixth Day of the Fifth Month, 1787 c. 1787

Editor: This is a woodblock print from around 1787 by Katsukawa Shunko. It depicts the actor Onoe Matsusuke I, playing a mendicant monk. The figure's hunched posture and sorrowful expression give it a melancholic feel. What is your interpretation of this work? Curator: Considering the socio-political climate of the late Edo period, we can see this print functioning beyond just theatrical representation. How might the artist, through depicting a popular actor in a role that arguably evokes hardship, be subtly commenting on societal structures and hierarchies? What kind of access to see these plays might people of different social classes have? Editor: So you're saying the print, through its portrayal of a lower-status character performed by a popular actor, could be a commentary on class differences? Curator: Precisely. The popularity of Kabuki theatre cut across societal lines. It provides a space for the discussion and display of cultural tensions. And prints like these democratized art ownership – think of them as accessible forms of media broadcasting and reinforcing or challenging the established order. Editor: That’s interesting, I hadn't considered that prints were also ways of creating discourse. Are the clothes a symbolic indicator? Curator: Absolutely. The monk's tattered robes can symbolize poverty, atonement, or even resistance. Furthermore, think about who is represented; Onoe Matsusuke I, as a popular actor, carried a certain social weight. By immortalizing him in this particular role, what narratives are reinforced, and which are challenged? How might we see this image through a gendered lens, considering the actor is a male playing a potentially vulnerable, marginalized figure? Editor: Thinking about the layers of performance and representation, from the play itself to the print, is a really powerful way to analyze this image. Thanks! Curator: Indeed, viewing artworks as enmeshed in complex power dynamics allows us to excavate rich narratives beyond the surface image.