The Actor Nakamura Noshio I as Misao Disguised as a Komuso in the Play Kosode-gura no Tekubari, Performed at the Morita Theater in the Second Month, 1772 (?)

This color woodblock print by Katsukawa Shunsho is linked to a kabuki performance at the Morita Theater in the second month of 1772, depicting the onnagata actor Nakamura Noshio I in the role of Misao disguised as a komuso, a wandering mendicant flute-player, in the play Kosode-gura no Tekubari. The komuso costume of a deep woven-straw hat and clerical robes was a frequent dramatic device in kabuki, providing a powerful visual cue for secrecy, exile, or revenge. Shunsho stages Noshio I with attention to the layered tension between his role's feminine identity and the assumed male disguise, capturing the moment with a degree of psychological precision that exemplifies the new style of yakusha-e introduced by the Katsukawa school. Where earlier actor prints had relied on generic faces, Shunsho's portraits register particular features and bearing, allowing Edo audiences to recognise individual performers. The plain ground concentrates attention on costume and pose, reinforcing the design's documentary function. As one of the central figures of the Katsukawa school, Shunsho was redefining Edo ukiyo-e during this period. The print is held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, where it contributes to a detailed record of 1772 Edo theatre and demonstrates the expressive range of Shunsho's approach to onnagata portraiture.