The Actor Ichikawa Kuzo II as the Geisha Kimiyoshi
Artist: Utagawa Kunisada (Japanese, 1786-1864)
Publisher: Fujiokaya Hikotaro
Date: about 1835-1840
Medium: color woodblock print
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Gift of H. A. Fee
Object number: 1953.162H
Label Text:In this scene from a Kabuki play, a geisha, or professional female hostess, peers around a wooden door while concealing an object out of sight. Geisha exclusively entertained wealthy men, often in tea houses and restaurants, which lead popular imagination to associate them with glamour and intrigue.
To provide their powerful patrons with a chic, cultured experience, accomplished geisha studied extensively and became highly skilled in music, dance, traditional games, and conversation. Similarly, prolific actors like Ichikawa Kuzō II engaged in rigorous training to successfully perform complicated roles, notably after the ban of women from the Kabuki stage in 1629.
To provide their powerful patrons with a chic, cultured experience, accomplished geisha studied extensively and became highly skilled in music, dance, traditional games, and conversation. Similarly, prolific actors like Ichikawa Kuzō II engaged in rigorous training to successfully perform complicated roles, notably after the ban of women from the Kabuki stage in 1629.
Not on view