Title: Mirror Images of Kabuki Actors (Yakusha awase kagami, 俳優相貎鏡)
Author: Asakusa no Ichihito [浅草市人], a.k.a. Iseya Hisaemon [伊勢屋久右衛門] (Japanese, 1755–1821)
Artist: Utagawa Toyokuni I [歌川豊国] (Japanese, 1769–1825)
Publisher: Okadaya Kashichi [岡田屋嘉七] (Japanese, fl. c. 1658–1874)
Place of Publication: Edo (Tokyo)
Date: 12th month, 1804 (Bunka 1 / Kyōwa 4)
Format: Picture Book (ehon), 46 pages; 23.8 × 16.4 cm
Media: Woodblock printed in black ink (sumizuri-e), hand-colored with brush-applied pigments; manuscript brush calligraphy on washi (Japanese handmade paper); folded leaves (fukuro-toji binding) with 4-hole stab sewing; soft green paper cover with hand-written red title (俳優相貌鏡 完) and hand-inscribed title slip (俳優相貌鏡 全)
Pirated edition of Yakusha awase kagami, produced in the 12th month of 1804, following the official spring release of the same title by Manshundō [萬春堂], a.k.a. Yamadaya Sanshirō [山田屋三四郎] (Japanese, fl. c. 1790–1811). This unauthorized version was instead issued by Okadaya Kashichi, whose name appears in the colophon, and who likely sought to capitalize on the success of the official edition.
The volume reproduces all 33 kabuki actor portraits attributed to Utagawa Toyokuni I, a pivotal figure in the development of physiognomic realism (nigao-e) in actor portraiture. The text was compiled and edited by Asakusa no Ichihito, the kyōka name of Edo poet Iseya Hisaemon, and is rendered in brush calligraphy rather than printed type.
Printed from re-carved blocks in black ink (sumizuri-e) and hand-colored, this edition imitates the layout of the official release while using manuscript text to avoid direct block-copying. The colophon also labels this as a “revised and supplementary” edition (kaisei furoku), a phrase likely intended to obscure its pirated status. Despite its unofficial nature, the work preserves the full suite of actor portraits and offers rare insight into Edo-period fan culture, literary practice, and commercial reproduction strategies.
Reference: The MET Object Number: 2013.850a, b; Smithsonian, National Museum of Asian Art Accession Number FSC-GR-780.747
Provenance:
– André Cottin (1939 inscription)
– F. Geo-Fourrier (ex-libris) and seal “GF”
– Huguette Berès Collection
Bibliography:
– Jack Hillier, The Art of the Japanese Book, Sotheby’s edition, pp.575, 577–579, 593 [LIB-3468.2025]
– Suzuki Shūzō. Ukiyo-e Taikei, Volume 9 : Toyokuni. — [Tokyo]: Shueisha, 1975. [LIB-3457.2025]
Mirror Images of Kabuki Actors (Yakusha awase kagami, 俳優相貎鏡), published in the 12th month of 1804, is an illustrated kyōka anthology that brings together the visual and literary arts of the late Edo period. Each portrait by Utagawa Toyokuni I is paired with one or more kyōka (狂歌)—seventeen-syllable comic or parodic waka—composed by members of contemporary Edo literary salons. These poems engage in playful wordplay, punning on the actor’s name, role, or visual depiction, blending classical references with popular theatrical culture.
The poets contributing to this volume, many of them using elaborate pseudonyms, were part of informal verse circles such as the Asakusa-ren, which included figures like Asakusa no Ichihito (浅草市人), a.k.a. Iseya Hisaemon. While some names are known from other kyōkabon, many contributors remain undocumented, suggesting a milieu of amateur literati, publishers, and theatrical devotees.
Kabuki actors in this period were revered not only for their performance skills but also for their highly cultivated personas, which combined stylisation, elegance, and emotional intensity. This admiration extended equally to tachiyaku (male-role specialists) and onnagata (specialists in female roles), whose refined femininity was often idealised in visual art and poetry. The kyōka in this book reflect that nuanced fascination, capturing theatrical roles and the poetic imagination they inspired. As such, the work serves as a visual fanbook and a literary tribute to the world of kabuki and its enduring cultural allure.
The unusually large number of unattested poets in Yakusha awase kagami, many bearing similarly structured pseudonyms, strongly suggests a deliberate act of literary mystification. Given the stylistic consistency of the poems and the absence of these names in standard kyōka references, it is highly likely that they are all variant identities of the editor, Asakusa no Ichihito. This was a common practice in Edo-period humorous literature, where a single author might adopt multiple voices to simulate a poetic circle, parody collective authorship, or explore different tones. Yakusha awase kagami thus reads not only as a visual and literary tribute to kabuki actors, but also as a sophisticated solo performance in many guises.
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to Horst Graebner (Kunisada Project) for identifying actors and poets, reading inscriptions, and offering overall guidance, and to Lucienne Parcan for help in identifying several actors.
