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Ōtani Oniji III as Yakko Edobei
Tōshūsai Sharaku
The defining kabuki portrait of the Edo period, produced in a career that lasted ten months.
- Artist
- Tōshūsai Sharaku
- Date
- 1794
- Medium
- Woodblock print with mica ground
- Dimensions
- 36.8 × 24.1 cm
- Location
- Multiple museum collections
History
What the record shows
Sharaku appeared, published around 140 designs, and vanished; his identity remains unresolved.
The dark mica ground was applied by hand and marks permanently under pressure or moisture.
Impressions are matted, never hinged at the image, and travel in light-tight cases with cumulative-lux monitoring.
Provenance
Chain of ownership
- 01Published by Tsutaya Jūzaburō, Edo, 1794
- 02Impressions in the Tokyo National Museum, the Metropolitan Museum and others
