The Actor Iwai Hanshiro IV as a Woman in a Black Kimono

Description

Iwai Hanshirō IV appears as a woman wearing a black kimono in this print by Katsukawa Shunshō. The upright female-role figure wears a black upper kimono above a pale patterned skirt, with red edges and an elaborate hairstyle against a sparse setting. The contrast in garment surfaces gives the character a clear, carefully composed presence, making costume integral to the actor’s transformation.

Made around 1780, the nishiki-e print uses ink and color on paper. Shunshō gives the actor’s transformation a lasting form, allowing costume to remain part of the character’s presence without confusing the role with the performer’s everyday identity. The image’s interest lies in that double recognition, where a familiar actor embodies another person. It preserves the individual association between Hanshirō and the represented woman, keeping the theatrical interpretation central to the subject.

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