The actor Ichikawa Tomiemon as Inokuma Monbei
1794
Medium
Color woodblock print; hosoban
Dimensions
31.4 × 14.8 cm (12 3/8 × 5 7/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
87288
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 18th-century Japanese kab theater with Tōshūsai Sharaku's *The Actor Ichikawa Tomiemon Inokuma Monbei* (1794). This color woodblock print captures the famed actor in a dramatic role, rendered in the narrow hosoban format—measuring just 31.4 × 14.8 cm—ideal for affordable, portable souvenirs among Edo-period theater fans. Produced during Japan's ukiyo-e "floating world" era, it exemplifies yakusha-e, or actor portraits, that immortalized kabuki stars. Sharaku, a mysterious artist active for only about 10 months in 1794–95, revolutionized the genre with his bold, ...
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...