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Ishikawa Toyonobu

The Actor Segawa Kikunojo I as a courtesan

c. 1747
Hand-colored woodblock print; vertical oban diptych, beni-e
69.6 × 25.2 cm (27.4 × 9.9 in)

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Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · verified July 2026

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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

This is probably a portrait of the actor who played the courtesan Nishikigi in the play A Group of Sumo Wresters of the Izu Peninsula , which was performed at the Nakamura theater in December 1747. Since women were prohibited from acting onstage, female roles were taken by men called onnagata . The actor Segawa Kikunojo I was one of the most famous onnagata of the time. His crest ( mon ) appears on his sleeve.

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