The Third Segawa Kikunojo as a Woman in a Crouching Position
Creator Name
Cultural Context
Date
Source
About the work
This woodblock print depicts the famed onnagata Kabuki actor known as 三代目瀬川 菊之丞 [SEGAWA Kikunojo III] (1751~1810) in a low crouching position with an erect sword, ready to strike. Onnagata were male actors who typically played female roles. The upper half of the composition is imbued with a dark black layer that evokes the night sky. Expressive black strokes transform from unkempt at the top to an intricate, criss-cross design towards the lower two thirds to comprise a sloping diagonal. Behind the central figure, an unruly stream adds to the agitated mood. The presence of the water and vegetation position the figure in an exterior, and yet the hair and kimono are billowing and extravagant in a slightly antiquated fashion that points to the 十二単 [jūnihitoe] style of the Heian Period (794-1185). Such a garment wouldn’t have been very appropriate outside of a palace. The two-layered hairstyle is Heian, too, with a long extension that hangs past the wearer’s knees and a shorter layer framing their face. However, the crown of the head is covered with a headwrap, implying that the actor is duly shaven as required for men during the Edo. This juxtaposition of historical periods―Heian and Edo―is synthesized in the image of the feminine-presenting figure in a combative position. The image creates a point of connection between two moments in Japanese history which pushed the envelope of conventional gender roles through artistic explorations of sensuality, eroticism, and pathos.
Metropolitan Museum of Art Object Description
Woodblock print (nishiki-e)
Work details
"--" = no data available
Title
Creator
Worktype
Cultural Context
Material
Dimensions
Technique
Language
Date
Provenance
Style Period
Rights
Inscription
Location
Source
Subjects
Topic
--
Curationist Metadata Contributors
All Works in Curationist’s archives can be reproduced and used freely. How to attribute this Work:
Katsukawa Shunshō, The Third Segawa Kikunojo as a Woman in a Crouching Position, 1778. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Katsukawa Shunshō is credited with creating this style of actor portraits known as yakusha-e. Public Domain.
Help us improve this content!
Let our archivists know if you have something to add.
Save this work.
Start an account to add this work to your personal curated collection.
