Actor Segawa Kikunojō III as an Onnagata (female role)

Katsukawa Shunkō (1743–1812; place of birth unknown) was among the earliest and most prominent disciples of Katsukawa Shunshō, and he distinguished himself within the Katsukawa school primarily through actor prints. Like his teacher, he produced a large number of narrow-format yakusha-e (actor portraits), but he also advanced Shunshō’s innovation of depicting only the upper body. Shunko is credited with developing the ōkubi-e (large-head portrait) format before the better-known works of Sharaku. This new approach was soon adapted by Kitagawa Utamaro in the realm of bijinga (pictures of beauties), where the format became firmly established.
During the period when Katsushika Hokusai was training in the Katsukawa school under the name Shunrō, Shunko was his senior. Contemporary accounts relate that Shunko harshly criticized Hokusai’s early works as unworthy of their master’s name—a rebuke that Hokusai later acknowledged as pivotal in his artistic development. This anecdote shows how Shunko became a turning point for later masters in developing their own artistic styles.
In addition to actor prints, Shunko also produced hand-painted beauties in the manner of Shunshō, demonstrating a consistent fidelity to his teacher’s style across genres.

This print is thought to depict the celebrated onnagata Segawa Kikunojō III (1751–1810), identified through facial features and family crest. Renowned for his mastery of both shosa (dance) and jigei (acting), Kikunojō was said to have attained the unusual distinction of serving as zato (head of the troupe) despite his specialization in female roles—a position typically reserved for male-role specialists.. While Shunshō frequently portrayed Kikunojō, Shunko’s depiction differs slightly from his teacher’s more slender and elongated figures. Nevertheless, the overall composition adheres closely to Shunshō’s manner, reflecting Shunko’s sincere engagement with his tearcher’s style while also introducing subtle variations of his own.