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Tōshūsai Sharaku ((日本語:東洲斎 写楽); active 1794–1795) was a Japanese ukiyo-e print artist, known for his portraits of kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers. Little is known of him besides the prints he designed; neither his true name nor the dates of his birth or death are known. His active career as a woodblock artist spanned ten months; his prolific work met disapproval, and his output came to an end as suddenly and mysteriously as it had begun. His work has since been recognized as some of the greatest in the ukiyo-e genre. Primarily portraits of kabuki actors, Sharaku's compositions emphasize poses of dynamism and energy, and display a realism unusual for prints of the time—contemporaries such as Utamaro represented their subjects with an idealized beauty, while Sharaku did not shy from showing unflattering details. This was not to the tastes of the public, and the enigmatic artist's production ceased in the first month of 1795. His mastery of the medium with no apparent apprenticeship has drawn much speculation, and researchers have long attempted to discover his true identity—some suggesting he was an obscure poet, others a Noh actor, or even the ukiyo-e master Hokusai. ==Works== Over 140 prints have been established as the work of Sharaku; the majority are portraits of actors or scenes from kabuki theatre, and most of the rest are of sumo wrestlers or warriors. Energy and dynamism are the primary features of Sharaku's portraits, and not the idealized beauty typical of ukiyo-e—Sharaku highlights unflattering features such as large noses or the wrinkles of aging actors. In his actor prints Sharaku usually depicts a single figure with a focus on facial expression. To Sharaku was able "to depict, within a single print, two or three levels of character revealed in the single moment of action forming the climax to a scene or performance". Occasionally two figures appear, revealing a contrast of types, as of different facial shapes, or a beautiful face contrasted with one more plain. Sharaku shows the skill of a master, despite scant evidence that he had prior experience designing prints. To Jack Ronald Hillier, there are occasional signs of Sharaku struggling with his medium. Hillier compares Sharaku to French painter Paul Cézanne, who he believes "has to struggle to express himself, hampered and angered by the limitations of his draughtsmanship". The prints appeared in the common print sizes ''aiban'', ''hosoban'', and ''ōban''. }} They are divided into four periods: #fifth month of 1794 — 28 ''ōban'' prints #seventh and eight months of 1794 — 8 ''ōban'' and 30 ''hosoban'' prints #eleventh month of 1794 — 47 ''hosoban'', 13 ''aiban'', and 4 ''ōban'' prints #first month of 1795 — 10 ''hosoban'' and 5 ''aiban'' prints The prints of the first two periods are signed "Tōshūsai Sharaku", the latter two only "Sharaku". The print sizes became progressively smaller and the focus shifts from busts to full-length portraits. The depictions become less expressive and more conventional. Two picture calendars dating to as early as 1789 and three decorated fans as late as 1803 have been attributed to Sharaku, but have yet to be accepted as authentic works of his. Sharaku's reputation rests largely on the earlier prints; those from the eleventh month of 1794 and after are considered artistically inferior. The actor Otani Oniji II as Yakko Edobei - Sharaku - TNM.jpg|Otani Oniji III as Yakko Edobei The actor Ichikawa Yaozo III as Tanabe Bunzo.jpg|Ichikawa Yaozo III as Tanabe Bunzo Sharaku - Sawamura Sojurō III as Ogishi Kurando.jpg|Sawamura Sōjurō III as Ogishi Kurando The actor Sakata Hangoro III as the villain Fujikawa Mizuemon.jpg|Sakata Hangoro III as the villain Fujikawa Mizuemon The actor Segawa Kikujurō III as Oshizu, Wife of Tanabe - Sharaku - TNM.jpg|Segawa Kikujurō III as Oshizu, Wife of Tanabe Ishikawa Ebizo IV dans le role de Takemura Sadanoshin.jpg|Ishikawa Ebizo IV as Takemura Sadanoshin 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Sharaku」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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