Ichikawa Ebizo IV as Takemura Sadanoshin

Toshusai Sharaku

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Object Label

The mysterious artist Tōshūsai Sharaku specialized in actor depictions in his apparently brief career as a print designer. His most groundbreaking and celebrated images focus on the face and upper body of the subject, set against a plain background covered in mica dust. Sharaku’s works emphasize the actor’s mastery of facial expressions, posture, and hand gestures to convey complex emotions. Here, one of the great performers of the day portrays a tragic hero at the moment when he realizes that his only honorable recourse is to commit ritual suicide.

Caption

Toshusai Sharaku Japanese, active 1794–1795. Ichikawa Ebizo IV as Takemura Sadanoshin, 1794/5. Color woodblock print with mica on paper, 14 3/8 x 9 7/16 in. (36.5 x 24 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Frederic B. Pratt, 42.85. No known copyright restrictions (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 42.85_IMLS_SL2.jpg)

Gallery

Not on view

Collection

Asian Art

Title

Ichikawa Ebizo IV as Takemura Sadanoshin

Date

1794/5

Period

Edo period

Geography

Place made: Japan

Medium

Color woodblock print with mica on paper

Classification

Print

Dimensions

14 3/8 x 9 7/16 in. (36.5 x 24 cm)

Signatures

Toshusai Sharaku

Credit Line

Gift of Frederic B. Pratt

Accession Number

42.85

Rights

No known copyright restrictions

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