Utagawa Kuniyoshi Japanese, 1798-1861 The Actors Iwai Hanshiro and Ichikawa Eibizo in a Play, c. 1832 Published by Kawaguchi-ya Chozo With censorship seal (kiwame) Nishiki-e (color woodblock print) Oban diptych Signed Ichiyusai Kuniyoshi Museum Collection The Japanese of Kuniyoshi's day were, like us, enthralled by the stars of the stage, and Ukiyo-e artists profited by it. The subject matter of this print resembles several ghost stories which involve the ghosts of wronged women taking revenge upon wicked samurai. In one famous story from Kabuki, the dead woman haunts her victimizer from the well into which her body has been thrown. But the woman here may be a demon or witch, since she is not drawn in the conventional style of a ghost. The role of women on stage was always played by a female impersonator, the onnagata. In some of the prints in this exhibition, women serve men or cringe before men. In other prints in this exhibition, men cringe before women. Psychological reversal of roles occurs quite often and neither heroism nor subservience, neither pride nor shame, is denied to either sex. The melodrama of justice, lust, and elegance is played out.