Showing posts with label kabuki. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kabuki. Show all posts

Tuesday, 21 January 2014

Shunsen Natori Onnagata Kabuki Print


Another Shunsen natori print. 
This is an onnagata a male actor playing a female role described as a "stylish maid" tho female attendant might be a better translation since this is hardly clothing for house work.

The kimono and obi show two traditional japanese textile pattern techniques tie dyeing and ikat weaving.

An actual house or personal maid offstage would have probably wore even in a wealthy merchants or aristocrats  household  a plainer robe perhaps still ikat but less colors ?

Saturday, 18 January 2014

Shunsen Natori Print


An Kabuki Actor Print by Shunsen Natori

No the character is not squinting. 
The makeup represents a scarred samurai with one eye. 
Despite or because this is a modern print the use of color is quite restrained and I rather think judging from other prints Shunsen studied early 18th century prints made when the range of colors available for woodblocks was more limited.