Otani Tokuji I as the Retainer Sodesuke in "Flowering Irises: A Soga Vendetta of the Bunroku Era"
1794
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
About the artist
1794
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Dominant colour
Otani Tokuji I as the Retainer Sodesuke in "Flowering Irises: A Soga Vendetta of the Bunroku Era" is a 1794 by Tōshū, a Romanticism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see a close-up of a Kabuki actor in full makeup and costume, his face twisted in a fierce scowl. This is one of Sharaku’s rare prints—he only worked for about ten months, yet created some of the boldest actor portraits of his time. The exaggerated features weren’t just for drama; they helped fans recognize their favorite performers from the back of a crowded theater. These prints were cheap souvenirs, not meant to last, which makes surviving ones like this even more unusual. If you like how Sharaku plays with light and shadow, look up *chiaroscuro*.
Ōtani Tokuji I (1756–1808) portrays a servant in a play that follows two brothers as they pursue a villain who murdered their father and older brother and who stole their family’s secret scroll. This design belongs to a category of Japanese prints called “actor images” ( yakusha - e or 役者絵). They were collected by fans of popular Kabuki actors. Kabuki is a kind of entertainment that got its start in the early Edo period, evolving from dance performances with simple storylines to long plays with complex plots, elaborate sets, and full musical accompaniments. Performers wear showy costumes and…
The clenched fist and mouth express the character’s determination.
Read the full account in the museum source.
