The Actor Tomizawa Montaro I as Miyako no Mae in the play "Izu Genji Horai Yakata," performed at the Ichimura Theater in the eleventh month, 1736 1736

Torii Kiyomasu II made this woodblock print in 1736, depicting the actor Tomizawa Montaro I in a Kabuki play performed at the Ichimura Theater in Japan. The print’s style, known as *ukiyo-e*, or “pictures of the floating world,” flourished during the Edo period. The *ukiyo-e* prints celebrated urban life, especially the licensed pleasure districts and the Kabuki theatre. It's interesting to think about the class tensions inherent in these kinds of images. Kabuki emerged as a popular art form among the merchant classes, who were gaining economic power but were still socially subordinate to the samurai. The patronage of Kabuki by the merchant class provided a space for the expression of their values and aspirations. Analyzing playbills, diaries, and other archival materials from the period can shed light on the complex social dynamics reflected in this print. This work reminds us that art is never created in a vacuum. It is always a product of its time and place, shaped by the social, economic, and political forces that are at play.