Actor Segawa Kikujirō I as Senju-no-mae

Japanese printers did not develop the technique of using multiple printing blocks for full-color images until the 1770s. This early print combines two enhancement techniques that were available to printmakers before that time: shiny, deep black lacquer (added to the figure’s sash) and watercolor (added in areas throughout). The subject, an actor who specialized in female roles, here plays the part of a celebrated courtesan who became a Buddhist nun after experiencing heartbreak.