Mageawase: Arashi Kichisaburō II's Kabuki Roles by Shunkōsai Hokushū

Mageawase: Arashi Kichisaburō II's Many Kabuki Roles

Shunkōsai Hokushū (春好斎北洲) | c. 1821 (Bunsei 4) | Ōban nishiki-e, one sheet from a five-sheet composition

This inventive Osaka actor print is part of Mageawase (髷合), a five-sheet work that brings together around 40 hairstyles and faces associated with kabuki roles. Rather than showing one performance, Hokushū gathers the many theatrical identities of Arashi Kichisaburō II into a playful visual catalogue. 🎭

The Actor Behind the Roles

In a framed scene at the upper right, Arashi Kichisaburō appears away from the stage, holding a bowl. Around him, separate heads and wigs recall characters he performed, inviting theatre fans to recognize each familiar role. ⛩️

A Gallery of Kabuki Hairstyles

The collection includes references to figures such as Fujiwara no Tokihira and Ono Sadakurō from Chūshingura. Hairstyles, headwear, and expressive faces work like clues for audiences who knew the plays. Seen together, they celebrate both the actor's range and the visual language of Osaka kabuki. 🌸

About Shunkōsai Hokushū

Hokushū was a leading artist of Osaka actor prints, known as kamigata-e. The work is signed Kōga Hokushū ga (好画 北洲画). In Mageawase, the printmaker turns a fan's knowledge of roles and wigs into an image to explore again and again. 🎴

Discover more stories behind Japanese woodblock prints at Atelier UKIYO.