The Actor Ichimura Uzaemon IX as shirabyoshi dancer Makomo no Mae in the joruri "Iru ni Makase Yumiharizuki," performed at the Ichimura Theater in the eleventh month, 1767

This 1767 hosoban benizuri-e color woodblock print at the Art Institute of Chicago records the actor Ichimura Uzaemon IX in the role of the shirabyoshi dancer Makomo no Mae in the joruri (musical narrative) Iru ni Makase Yumiharizuki, performed at the Ichimura Theater in the eleventh month of 1767. Shirabyoshi were female dancers of the late Heian and early medieval periods who performed in male court attire; the most famous historical shirabyoshi was Shizuka Gozen, mistress of Minamoto no Yoshitsune, and kabuki drama returned repeatedly to their figure. For a male actor like Uzaemon IX, playing a shirabyoshi was a double layer of cross-gender performance - the kabuki onnagata convention compounded by the character's own performance of masculine dress within the play - and made for visually striking compositions. The hosoban benizuri-e format with pink, green, and black ink was standard for actor prints. The Art Institute of Chicago's impression preserves an important record of the eleventh-month 1767 Ichimura kaomise.