Artwork Page for Iwai Hanshirō IV as a Woman with a Sword

Details / Information for Iwai Hanshirō IV as a Woman with a Sword

Iwai Hanshirō IV as a Woman with a Sword

四代目岩井半四郎の刀を持つ女性

1791

Katsukawa Shunei 勝川 春英

(Japanese, 1762–1819)
Culture
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
Medium
color woodblock print
Measurements
Sheet: 31.5 x 14 cm (12 3/8 x 5 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
Gift from J. H. Wade 1921.1287
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

In this unidentified role, Iwai Hanshirō IV is costumed as a woman with long flowing hair, wielding a sword. Men of the Edo period shaved their head from the forehead back to the crown, leaving the side and back hair long, though tied in an updo. Even after the practice was abandoned for Kabuki theater actors specializing in female roles, they kept the custom of concealing the area that would once have been bare, so Hanshirō has a murasaki no bōshi (紫の帽子), or purple headband, attached to his wig.
A vertically oriented woodblock print depicts Iwai Hanshirō IV as a woman with light skin tone standing before a bamboo fence. She grips a long sword with both hands, angled downward. She wears a pinkish-orange patterned outer robe over a black and white striped kimono. Above her, plum branches hang from the top edge. Japanese calligraphy and seals appear in the lower right and bottom center. Fine lines outline the scene.

Iwai Hanshirō IV as a Woman with a Sword

1791

Katsukawa Shunei

(Japanese, 1762–1819)
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)

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