Bando Mitsugoro VII as the Mute in Sannin-Katawa 1922

Curator: Looking at this woodblock print from 1922, created by Yamamura Toyonari, we see Bando Mitsugoro VII portrayed as the character of the mute from the play *Sannin-Katawa*. The composition is fairly straightforward, a single figure against a plain background. What are your initial thoughts? Editor: Well, the first thing that hits me is the incredible balance between the serious and the subtly absurd. The colors are lovely, that subdued palette punctuated by pops of bright red, but the subject… he just seems so put upon, doesn't he? Almost as if he’s suppressing a huge eye roll! Curator: It's interesting you say that. This image really plays on the theatrical conventions of *ukiyo-e* portraiture. The rigid pose and stylized features were carefully constructed, meant to communicate more than just a likeness. These prints acted almost like publicity stills of their time, meant to celebrate and perpetuate the legacy of notable actors. Editor: Absolutely! You can sense the actor is kind of locked into an expected role, so much artifice around the features… But is it also playing with it a little, flirting with a modern sensibility? There’s something incredibly present in that sidelong glance he’s giving us, an intimate kind of complicity! Curator: I think the caricaturistic aspect contributes to that feeling of playful subversion. Toyonari exaggerates certain features – the receding hairline, the slight downturn of the mouth – which lends a sympathetic and human touch to a figure that would otherwise feel quite distant to a modern audience. Also the flat rendering enhances the idea of artificiality. Editor: The costuming seems significant too, that bold, patchwork design of the outer kimono paired with that intriguing black lacquered sign, complete with flowing script—a nice addition, especially when contrasted with the man's silent role! Is he holding all of the drama, unspoken? Curator: Precisely! Kabuki relies on elaborate costuming and symbolic props like this sign, and Yamamura certainly demonstrates that beautifully here. His understanding and control over color, line, and design work in complete accord in *Bando Mitsugoro VII as the Mute in Sannin-Katawa*, so that viewers now are reminded that these prints played an important function outside theaters. Editor: Looking at it that way brings another level of drama to play. Seeing him through the eyes of his audience—captivating! Curator: I agree! I think Toyonari manages to give us an insight into both performance and person with considerable style. Editor: A real balancing act captured!