The Heroine Umegawa in Meido No Hikyaku

Description

Umegawa, a courtesan in the play Meido no Hikyaku, is seen here fleeing with her customer and lover Chubei, who had shortly before embezzled money to buy her freedom. It is a print that has many faces, and that can easily be misunderstood. First, because of Kitano Tsunetomi's typical style, one could confuse it with a hanging scroll painting, instead of the woodblock print that it is. Second, perhaps more so for Western audiences, Umegawa might seem to have an almost religious appearance, and not that of a courtesan on the run with a lover who has just committed a crime. Finally, even with a typical female appearance and female character, the portrait depicted is that of a man and not of a woman, as female roles in kabuki plays were portrayed by men.