Actor Segawa Tomisaburo II as the Geisha Asaka
1794–95
Medium
One sheet of a pentaptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
12 7/8 x 5 3/4 in. (32.7 x 14.6 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund and Rogers Fund, 1949
Accession Number
JP3130
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of Edo-period Japan (1615–1868), Tōshūsai Sharaku captured the theatrical intensity of kabuki actors like no other. This striking woodblock print from 1794–95 the renowned onnagata (female impersonator) Seg Tomisaburō II as the geisha Asaka. As one sheet from a rare pentaptych—a five-panel composition—this intimate portrait (12 7/8 x 5 3/4 in.) showcases Sharaku's signature style: oversized heads, piercing gazes, and exaggerated features that pierce the soul, revealing the actor's raw emotion beneath the makeup and costume. Sharaku, a mysterious artist active for just two...
About the Artist
Tōshūsai Sharaku · 1794–1795
Tōshūsai Sharaku stands as one of the most enigmatic figures in Japanese art history, a ukiyo-e printmaker whose brilliant career blazed for just ten months from the summer of 1794 to early spring 1795. Active exclusively in Edo (modern Tokyo), he produced approximately 150 woodblock prints and sketches, primarily yakusha-e—intimate portraits of kabuki actors captured mid-performance. Published by...