The Actors Matsumoto Hyōzō I as a Wakashu and Nakamura Denkurō I as a Samurai Retainer

This exceedingly rare print captures the excitement of Kabuki theater at the turn of the eighteenth century and the gender-bending roles that enticed audiences. The setting is a spring outing to view cherry blossoms, and above the two actors are curtains decorated with their respective crests. On the right is shown Nakamura Denkurō (1662–1713) in the role of a feudal retainer (yakko), whose scowling features, be-damned-with-you gesturing, and ruffian stance encapsulates the exaggeratedly boisterous aragoto (“rough stuff”) roles for which he became famous. In front of him is Matsumoto Hyōzō who delighted his audiences and achieved fame for his sensuous performances as an onnagata, male actors who cross-dressed on stage as women.

Yet the scene here captures an even more complex permutation of gender roles since the kerchief (purple when seen on the stage) is an attribute of a man playing a female role, but the character depicted represents the role of a wakashu, a male youth attired in feminine garb. In this case, the actor is shown in flamboyant robes, a pair of swords tucked into his sash, but with a women’s hairstyle (not the more vertical topknot of a young man). During this age, such nise wakashugoto, or “imitation male-youth” roles enjoyed a surge in popularity, though since prints capturing such poses are extremely rare, we must assume audiences were content for wakashu to be wakashu, for boys to be boys on the Kabuki stage.