Toshusai Sharaku (active 1794-1795) | The actor Bando Hikosaburo III in the role of Sagisaka Sanai | Edo period, late 18th century

This print is a half-length depiction of Bando Hikosaburo III during his portrayal of Sagisaka Sanai holding a lamp in his right hand in a scene from the play Koi Nyobo Somewake Tazuna performed at the Kawarazaki-za theatre in the fifth month of the sixth year of the Kansei era (1794). The actor’s face dramatically dominates the print against a rich mica background.

Sharaku's artistic career as an ukiyo-e designer was short lived, lasting only from 1794 to 1795. While a number of drawings for prints presumably never reached the publishing stage, he designed around one hundred and forty prints depicting exclusively Kabuki actors, the theatre and sumo wrestlers. His work was highly criticized by his contemporaries in Edo up to a degree where his publisher Tsutaya Juzaburo decided not to sponsor the artist in a highly competitive, lucrative print market. The rejection of Sharaku’s work was nearly unanimous and this perhaps accounts for the fact that no records concerning his life or even his identity have been discovered until today. Today the work and designs of this enigmatic artist are highly prized, with his boldly composed portraits of actors exacting a sense of realism that was unconventional during his time.

Further impressions of the same print are in numerous museum collections, including:

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, accession number 21.5827, go to:

https://collections.mfa.org/objects/233505

The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The MET), accession number JP2823, go to:

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/37359

The British Museum, museum number 1909,0618,0.35, go to:

https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/A_1909-0618-0-35