Actor Ichikawa Monnosuke III as Kineya Sankatsu of the Minoya, Utagawa Toyokuni I

Archive Label 2003 (version 1):
Although Toyokuni I was the second artist to work under the name of Utagawa, he is considered the founder of the Utagawa School of ukiyoe artists. The figure in this print is particularly reminiscent of the works by Kiyonaga and Utamaro in the depiction of a statuesque body with a rather masculine face, characterized by the elongated face shape and the high-bridged nose. The blue color of the kimono is especially beautiful in this print and is shaded to a lighter blue towards the hem.

Here, Toyokuni I portrays the male actor, Mon no Suke, in the role of a female character in a kabuki play. The creation of kabuki is ascribed to the woman, Okuni, who began performing on the banks of the Kamo River in Kyoto in 1603. However, because the female performers also practiced prostitution, women actors were prohibited from performing in 1629. All roles after that time were performed by men.

Archive Label 2003 (version 2):
From about the middle of the 17th century women were forbidden to perform on the Kabuki stage, and male actors played female roles. These actors, or onnagata had the shaved forelock common to all who chose acting as a profession. To preserve the illusion of their performances, they wore a purple headcovering, even under wigs. In fact, images of onnagata can often be identified by the presence of the band of purple on the forehead.

Here,Toyokuni I depicts the actor Ichikawa Mon no Suke, an actor who specialized in female roles, as a courtesan from an unidentified play. Mon no Suke, who performed under that name from 1815-24, was very popular in his day and eventually rose to become the head onnagata of his troupe. The artist uses the actor’s masculine face with the coy position of his head and line of the body to present the viewer something of Mon no Suke’s presence as a performer.