Kabuki Actor Segawa Kikunojō III in a Female Role (Shizuka Gozen)

Description

In this portrait of Segawa Kikunojō III, Katsukawa Shunshō presents a female-role figure in elaborate dress beneath tall headwear and ornaments. An architectural outline gives the standing body a setting without overwhelming it. The upward accents of the headwear and the long clothing make a theatrical silhouette through which the named actor assumes another identity.

Made around 1777, the ink-and-color woodblock print preserves Kikunojō’s presence through an assumed theatrical appearance. The name anchors the image to an individual performer, while the elaborate female-role dress invites acceptance of another persona. Shunshō allows these identities to remain connected rather than treating the figure as an anonymous woman. The contrast between the actor’s public identity and the role’s carefully made silhouette gives the portrait a distinct human interest.

Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the Katsukawa Shunshō collection.