An Actor Beside Water 1615 - 1868

Utagawa Toyokuni the First made this woodblock print titled "An Actor Beside Water" sometime in the late 18th or early 19th century. It exemplifies ukiyo-e, the style of Japanese woodblock prints and paintings that flourished during the Edo period. This print depicts a Kabuki actor, readily identified by his distinctive makeup and stylized pose. Kabuki emerged as a popular form of entertainment during the Edo period, catering to the rising merchant class. Yet, the Tokugawa shogunate, wary of social unrest, enacted sumptuary laws to regulate the activities and appearances of the merchant class, including their access to theater. Ukiyo-e prints, like this one, played a crucial role in disseminating images of Kabuki actors and performances, allowing the merchant class to engage with this form of entertainment despite the restrictions imposed by the ruling elite. By consulting theater records and censorship archives, art historians can gain further insights into the complex relationship between art, entertainment, and social control during the Edo period.