The Actor Ichikawa Danjuro V in the Role of a Woman

Description

Ichikawa Danjūrō V appears in the role of a woman in this print by Katsukawa Shunshō, making theatrical transformation the center of the subject. The female-role actor gathers the hands within a pale cream robe, with red and patterned inner layers trailing below. A minimal light background gives the clothing room to flow, allowing the small bodily gesture to remain distinct within the character’s spacious outward appearance.

Made in 1772, the nishiki-e print uses ink and color on paper. Shunshō gives the actor’s change of guise a lasting form, allowing the role to be encountered beyond the original performance. Its interest lies in the relationship between recognition and embodiment, where a familiar stage personality can take on another social and bodily identity. The print preserves that act of interpretation through the actor’s distinctive embodiment of another identity.

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