The actors Ichikawa Tomiemon (R) as Kanisaka Toma and Sanogawa Ichimatsu III (L) as the Gion Prostitute Onayo
Tōshūsai Sharaku
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
18770
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...