flying twigs

Woodblock print by Katsushika Hokusai featuring the character Ichikawa Ebizō in a Kabuki play as a woodcutter who is actually the Priest Mongaku in disguise, as becomes revealed in the course of the play.

Kabuki is a highly stylised form, with comic episodes mixed with dramatic themes. Often there is a mystical or supernatural element. The characters dress in rich colours with fantastical makeup to emphasise the drama.

Ichikawa Ebizō is the stage name adopted by a series of Kabuki actors of the Ichikawa family, again stressing the tradition that exists even today. When Tamara and I were in Japan last Spring we saw a kabuki performance with the actors on stage and the musicians also in costume, seated in a line to the side of the theatre, playing and also singing a commentary on the play.

Hokusai is probably the most famous Ukiyo-e artist known today, and The Great Wave off Kanagawa is probably his most well known woodblock print.