Actor in the No Play Hanagatami, Tsukioka Kôgyo, 1926
color woodcut, h 378mm × w 252mm More details
A familiar attribute in No is the branch of bamboo that was carried by a woman. It is called a ‘branch of madness’ (kuruizasa) to indicate that she is confused or has lost hold of her senses. This can result from misfortune in love, but also the loss of a child. This woman had to renounce her lover.
