The actors Ichikawa Yaozo lll (R) as Fuwa Banzaemon and Sakata Hangoro lll (L) as Kosodate Kannonbo
1794
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
38.1 × 25.4 cm (15 × 10 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
87269
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of 18th-century Japanese kab theater, Tōshai Sharaku's *The Actors Ichikawa Yaozō III (R) as Fuwa Banzaemon andata Hangorō III (L) asodate Kannonbō* (1794) captures two stars in dynamic poses. This color woodblock print, an oban format measuring 38.1 × 25.4 cm, Ichikawa as the swaggering ronin Fuwa Banzaemon on the right and Sakata the child-rearing Kannon priest on the left—characters from popular kabuki plays blending drama, comedy, and supernatural elements. Sharaku, a mysterious artist active for just two years (1794–1795), revolutionized ukiyo-e ("pictures of the flo...
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...