Hare (U) from the series “Selections for the Twelve Signs of the Zodiac”

Actor Iwai Hanshirō VII in the role of Yamauba of Ashigarayama.

The work had been created notwithstanding the influence of the Tenpō reforms (1841–1843), when certain prohibitions were introduced also relating to the publication of bijinga and yakusha-e. The work appears to portray sign of the Zodiac – the hare, but in actual fact it is a portrait of an actor that was easily recognizable to 19th century fans of Japan’s kabuki theatre and those who knew this actor, based on certain features and plays on words. This was a creative way of circumventing state-imposed censorship.