The Actor Segawa Kikunojo II as Owata in the play "Taiheiki Shizunome Furisode," performed at the Nakamura Theater in the eleventh month, 1767

This 1767 hosoban benizuri-e color woodblock print held by the Art Institute of Chicago shows the celebrated onnagata (female-role specialist) Segawa Kikunojo II as Owata in the kabuki play Taiheiki Shizunome Furisode, performed at the Nakamura Theater in the eleventh month of 1767. Segawa Kikunojo II (1741-1773) was one of the most popular onnagata of the mid-Edo period and a fashion icon whose hairstyles and patterns were widely imitated by Edo women. The Taiheiki, the fourteenth-century war chronicle, was a perennial source for kabuki drama, and Shizunome ("quiet women") plays adapted episodes into vehicles for the onnagata. The eleventh-month kaomise at the Nakamura Theater, one of the three official Edo kabuki houses, opened the new season with showcase performances. The hosoban benizuri-e technique - pink, green, and black on white paper - emphasizes the actor's silhouette and patterned robe. Shigemasa's portrayal captures the elongated, swaying grace that defined onnagata performance, and shows the artist working confidently within the Torii-school template for theatrical portraiture while bringing his own gentler line.