Kabuki actors Nakamura Shichisaburō and Sanogawa Ichimatsu by Ishikawa Toyonobu

Kabuki actors Nakamura Shichisaburō and Sanogawa Ichimatsu, Ishikawa Toyonobu. 1740, Woodblock print; ink and color on paper

This painting depicts two actors portraying a wakashu on the left and an adult man on the right. We again see a huge difference in clothing and hairstyle. The adult man on the left has a knife and looks down on Wakashu since he is older and taller than a grown male. The wakashu, holding that lantern symbolizing a more submissive position to serve the purpose of shedding light on the road for the two of them. This painting also shows us a common view in the Edo period when an adult man and a Wakashu built very intimate bonds and strong relationship during this time. However, this type of relationship also later was banned from a typical gender opposition ethicals preached from the West.