The actor Otani Oniji III as Edobei
1794
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
37.9 × 25 cm (14 15/16 × 9 7/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
18765
Art Historical Context
### The Actor Ōtani Oniji III as Edobē Step into the vibrant world of 18th-century Japanese Kabuki theater with Tōshūsai Sharaku's *The Actor Ōtani Oniji III as Edobē* (1794), a stunning color woodblock print (oban size, 37.9 × 25 cm). This masterpiece captures the fierce intensity of star actor Ōtani Oniji III in the role of the villainous Edobē from a popular Kabuki play. Sharaku, a mysterious ukiyo-e artist active for just 18 months, produced around 150 such yakusha-e (actor portraits), revolutionizing how performers were depicted—not as glamorous ideals, but as raw, psychologically penetr...
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...