Japanese Cross-Dressing Performance in Taishō and Early Shōwa Japan: Kabuki and Onnagata Photo Archive, ca. 1910s–1920s

Japan Kabuki Performance Archive

Photograph

[Cross dressing] [Japan] [Kabuki] Cross-dressing scenes and portraits of Onnagata actors photo archive, Japan, ca. 1910s–1920s, documents the visual culture of Japanese theater at a pivotal moment when modern photographic media intersected with longstanding traditions of gendered performance. Produced during the Taishō and early Shōwa periods, these images preserve Kabuki’s stylized theatrics and the centrality of onnagata (male actors specializing in female roles) to social constructions of femininity in Japan. Following the 1629 prohibition on women performing on the Kabuki stage, male actors developed the onnagata tradition, involving stringent rules of gesture, comportment, and dress which in turn informed the performance of gender beyond the theater.
Collection of 15 original silver gelatin and collotype photographs, Japan, ca. 1910s–1920s. The photographs, each measuring approximately 4 x 6 inches, include both full-stage production scenes and studio portraits of celebrated performers in costume. Several bear Japanese captions and publisher imprints in the margins, and some identify specific plays and characters, including an example labeled “花の幇間” (Hana no Taiko). Performance images depict painted scenic backdrops, including maritime settings, elaborately dressed actors captured mid-scene, and musicians seated as part of the nagauta ensemble, while studio portraits center onnagata figures in heavy white oshiroi makeup, elaborate coiffures, and richly embroidered kimono. Iconic theatrical gestures such as the mie, the climactic stylized pose, are represented, underscoring the physical vocabulary that defined Kabuki theater. These photographs reflect the ways in which social concepts of femininity informed Kabuki performance and how Kabuki conversely informed societal gender presentation. Such material illuminates the role of onnagata in shaping and exporting images of Japanese femininity during a period of expanding international cultural exchange. Minor edge wear and light toning, otherwise crisp and clean. Overall very good condition. An evocative photographic record of Kabuki performance and gendered theatricality in the early 1900s.

Item #22735

Price: $1,850.00