This painting portrays a male actor in the female role of Hanamori (“Guardian of Flowers”) from Nō, a major form of classical Japanese dance-drama performed since the 14th century. A full moon rises behind the figure, and a few cherry blossom petals scatter by. The actor wears a pale blue under-robe, a gold bamboo-patterned kimono, a pale green over-robe, and is shown holding a brushwood broom. The dramatic wig emphasizes the character’s supernatural power.
Nakamura Daizaburō, a distinguished painter from Kyōto, specialized in the depiction of beautiful women. In its purely native style and subject, in addition to its contemporary expressiveness, this work is among the finest examples of pre-World War II Nihonga, a distinctive style of modern Japanese painting.
