Yamatoya Tojaku (The Actor Iwai Hanshiro IV as Otoma, Daughter of Ohina from Inamuragasaki in Kamakura) (Yondai-me Iwai Hanshiro no Kamakura Inamuragasaki no Ohina musume Otoma)
1794 (Kansei 6)
Medium
Color woodblock print; aiban, nishiki-e
Dimensions
32.8 × 22.7 cm (12 15/16 × 8 15/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
18819
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 18th-century Japanese kab theater with Tōshūsai Sharaku's *Yamatoya Tojaku (The Actor Iwai Hanshiro IV as Otoma, Daughter of Ohina from Inagasaki in Kamakura)*, created in 1794. This color woodblock print captures the renowned actor Iwai Hanshiro IV in the role of Otoma, a poignant female character from a popular play set against Kamakura's scenic Inamuragasaki. Sharaku, a mysterious ukiyo-e master active for just a fleeting 10 months, revolutionized actor portraits with his bold, psychologically penetrating style—emphasizing expressive faces, dynamic poses, and ...
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...