Actor Onoe Matsusuke I asRetired Emperor Sutoku c. 1780

Katsukawa Shunko created this woodblock print, *Actor Onoe Matsusuke I as Retired Emperor Sutoku*, during the Edo period. It offers a glimpse into the vibrant world of Japanese Kabuki theater. Here, Onoe Matsusuke embodies Emperor Sutoku, a figure fraught with historical complexity. Exiled after a failed coup, Sutoku's spirit is said to have transformed into an vengeful ghost, a popular theme in Kabuki plays. Shunko captures Onoe’s interpretation of Sutoku, his downcast gaze heavy with the weight of imperial fate. The actor's robes, patterned with stylized flames, hint at the character’s inner torment. The fan tucked into the costume acts as a symbolic device indicating status, as well as performance. This portrait, with its somber tones and expressive lines, transcends a simple depiction of a Kabuki actor. It offers a meditation on power, exile, and the spectral intersection of history and drama.