Artwork

東洲斎写楽画初代市川男女蔵の奴一平『恋女房染分手綱』|Ichikawa Omezō I in the Role of Yakko Ippei from the Play "Koinyōbō somewake tazuna"

東洲斎写楽画初代市川男女蔵の奴一平『恋女房染分手綱』|Ichikawa Omezō I in the Role of Yakko Ippei from the Play "Koinyōbō somewake tazuna" is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Tōshūsai Sharaku. It dates from 1794 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

" As a work of yakusha-e, the image functions as a theatrical portrait capturing the performer in character rather than a depiction of a historical individual.

This woodblock print portrays the kabuki actor Ichikawa Omezō I in the specific role of Yakko Ippei, a character from the play "Koinyōbō somewake tazuna." As a work of yakusha-e, the image functions as a theatrical portrait capturing the performer in character rather than a depiction of a historical individual. The iconography centers on the figure of a man wielding a katana, emphasizing the martial nature of the role through the prominent display of the sword.

Created in 1794, the print utilizes ink, color, and white mica on paper to render the actor's costume and weapon, serving as a visual record of a specific performance within the ukiyo-e genre.

Technique & Style

The work is a polychrome woodblock print produced in 1794 by Tōshūsai Sharaku, employing ink and color applied to paper that includes the use of white mica for reflective accents. The composition follows the yakusha-e portrait tradition, focusing on the actor Ichikawa Omezō I in the role of Yakko Ippei.

Formal qualities emphasize the actor’s direct stare and dynamic posture, rendered with bold contour lines and subtle gradations of tone to model facial features and costume details. The print’s handling prioritizes graphic immediacy over spatial illusion, flattening the image into a concentrated visual field typical of Sharaku’s prints.

History & Provenance

Created in 1794, this woodblock print depicts the actor Ichikawa Omezō I in the role of Yakko Ippei from the play "Koinyōbō somewake tazuna." The work was produced by the artist Tōshūsai Sharaku during his brief but prolific period of activity in the Edo period. It is a color woodblock print executed with ink, color, and white mica on paper, characteristic of the ukiyo-e yakusha-e genre. The piece is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

This woodblock print by Tōshūsai Sharaku, created in 1794, is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The work depicts the actor Ichikawa Omezō I in the role of Yakko Ippei from the play "Koinyōbō somewake tazuna." While the museum's ownership is established, the provided records do not specify a particular accession number or detail any past exhibitions for this specific impression.

Overview

Tōshūsai Sharaku’s 1794 woodblock print captures the actor Ichikawa Omezō I in the role of Yakko Ippei from the kabuki drama Koinyōbō somewake tazuna. Rendered in ink and color with a striking white mica background, the image presents a sharply dressed figure gripping a sword, his face half‑shadowed, conveying a moment of tension on stage.

Context

The portrait belongs to the late‑Edo era’s vibrant kabuki culture, when actors were celebrated as celebrities and their likenesses circulated widely. Sharaku’s focus on realistic, sometimes unflattering, depictions set his work apart from the more idealized portraits of his peers, offering a candid glimpse into theatrical performance.