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Segawa Kikunojō III as Teruha
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Men perform all the roles in Kabuki, a form of Japanese theater. Some actors specialize in onnagata (女形), or female roles. Segawa Kikunojō III was one of the most famous onnagata actors of his day. Here, he plays a character called Teruha in what was once the center print of a triptych (a composition of three prints). Teruha is officiating a wrestling match that also involves red and white roosters.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineSegawa Kikunojō III as Teruha (三代目瀬川菊之丞の照葉), 1778. Katsukawa Shunshō (Japanese, 1726–1792). Color woodblock print; sheet: 32.4 x 14.6 cm (12 3/4 x 5 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Sundry Purchase Fund, 1920.157
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