In the context of this artwork, discuss the Genre of the Ichikawa Omezō as a Pilgrim and Ichikawa Yaozō as a Samurai.
An image of two actors posing as characters from a play, this print belongs to the kabuki-e (歌舞伎絵) genre, also known as shibai-e (芝居絵), gekijou-e (劇場絵), gekiga (劇画). Literally 'kabuki pictures', kabuki-e began to be produced in the late 17th century. As kabuki grew in popularity, audiences became increasingly interested in the actors. The emergence of star actors led to yakusha-e (役者絵), a subgenre of kabuki-e in which actors were depicted individually or, as in this print, in pairs. These images appeared as single-sheet prints or in books of actor prints called yakusha ehon (役者絵本).
kabuki yakusha-e ehon