The actors Ichikawa Yaozo lll (R) as Fuwa Banzaemon and Sakata Hangoro lll (L) as Kosodate Kannonbo

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 floating world") with his bold, psychologically penetrating portraits of actors. Unlike the idealized beauties of contemporaries like Utamaro, Sharaku's unflattering realism—exaggerated features, intense gazes, and muscular forms—revealed the raw humanity behind the makeup and performance. Printed using intricate woodblock techniques, with carved blocks inked in multiple colors and precisely aligned, these works were affordable art for Edo's (Tokyo's) urban masses, fueling kabuki's cultural fever. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Arts of Asia department, this print exemplifies Sharaku's enduring legacy: over 140 known designs that pried open the theater's glamour, influencing modern artists like Toulouse-Lautrec. It's a window into Japan's floating world, where actors were celebrities and prints immortalized their fleeting glory.

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...