Ōtani Oniji III as Yakko Edobei

Beauties and Actors

Tōshūsai Sharaku

Ōtani Oniji III as Yakko Edobei

1794

Woodblock print; ink, color and white mica on paper, 38.1 × 25.1 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

A villainous manservant scowls, hair bristling, his hands thrust out like claws.

  • Behind the pen name is an artist whose identity is still debated; he issued over 140 prints in about ten months.
  • Mica in the dark ground gives it a soft shimmer.
  • Caricature-like features fuse the stage villain with the man playing him.

Image: The Met Open Access · Public domain (Met Open Access)

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