Hamamuraya: Segawa Kikunojo III, from the series "Portraits of Actors on Stage (Yakusha butai no sugata-e)" c. 1794

Utagawa Toyokuni I created this woodblock print of Segawa Kikunojo III, a celebrated Kabuki actor, during the Edo period in Japan. This was a time when Kabuki theatre was flourishing and actors, like Kikunojo III, were idolized. Here, Kikunojo III is depicted not in a male role, but as a female character, highlighting the onnagata tradition in Kabuki where male actors specialize in playing women. This practice disrupts conventional gender norms, presenting femininity as a performance crafted through costume, gesture, and expression. Notice the attention to detail in the actor's robes, the careful arrangement of the wig, and the subtle expression on the face, all of which contribute to the illusion. This print reflects the cultural fascination with artifice, transformation, and the fluidity of identity within the theatrical world. It invites us to consider the constructed nature of gender.