東洲斎写楽画 三代目坂東彦三郎の帯屋長右衛門と四代目岩井半四郎の信濃 屋お半 『二本松陸奥生長』|Bandō Hikosaburō III in the Role of Obiya Chōemon and Iwai Hanshiro IV in the Role of Shinanoya Ohan, from the Play “Nihonmatsu Michinoku sodachi”
1794–95
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper; white mica ground
Dimensions
Image: 14 1/2 x 9 7/8 in. (36.8 x 25.1 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
JP3119
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world Edo-period kabuki theater this stunning woodblock print by the enigmatic Tōshūs Sharaku, created around 1794–95. Titled *Bandō Hikosaburō III in the Role of Obiya Chō and Iwai Hansh IV in the Role ofanoya Ohan* from the play *Nihonmatsu Michinoku sodachi*, it captures two star actors mid-performance. Sharaku, active for just two mysterious years, revolutionized ukiyo-e actor portraits with his bold, unflinching style—exaggerated features, piercing gazes, and raw emotional intensity that pierced the actors' personas to reveal deeper character. Printed on paper with ...
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...