Mirror Images of Kabuki Actors (Yakusha awase kagami) 俳優相貎鏡

Two pages from a book, each with a portrait of a man in traditional Japanese clothing. The left page shows a man wearing a green robe with a white trim and a red and white checkered undergarment. He has a black topknot and is holding a sword in his right hand. The right page shows a man wearing a black robe with a red lining and a floral pattern. He has a black topknot and a red eye makeup. Both men are drawn in a traditional Japanese style. The background of each page is beige with Japanese text written in black ink. The pages are set against a white background.

Artwork details

Date:: 1804
Medium:: Set of two woodblock printed books; ink and color on paper
Culture:: Japan
Dimensions:: 599 × 400 px
Museum record:: View original

Palette

The Actors Nakamura Nakazo I as Hata Rokurozaemon Disguised as the Samurai's Manservant (Yakko) Igaguri Hanehei (left), and Nakamura Noshio I as the Lady-in-Waiting Koto no Naishi (right), in the Dance Sequence "Sodegasa Momiji no Tekuda" (Umbrella Sleeves: Coquettish Tricks at Maple Time), from the Fourth Act of the Play Hikitsurete Yagoe Taiheiki (The War Tale Taiheiki: With Din and Clamor of Battle), Performed at the Morita Theater in the Eleventh Month, 1776