158 works and sketches survive of the Japanese artist known only by the art name Tà Âshà «sai Sharaku. Almost all were made over a ten-month period in 1794âÂÂ1795, divided into four periods:
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. A number of hanshita-e preparatory drawings have also been found.
In Sharaku's time the Kawarazaki-za, the Kiri-za, and the Miyako-za were the three major kabuki theatre houses of Edo: the Edo San-za.
Just over 600 copies of Sharaku's prints are known; only about 100 remain in Japan. As they are in collections scattered throughout the world general research on Sharaku's works has followed different threads in Japan and the West has proved time-consuming. Japanese researchers have better knowledge of and access to documents and literature related to Sharaku's time and conditions. On the other hand, Sharaku's works tend to be in Western collections, including prints for which only one copy is knownâÂÂof which there are about three dozen. Three of these are of unknown whereabouts, known only through published photographs. The largest Western collection is the 70 pieces at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 6 of which are unique; the Art Institute of Chicago (8 unique pieces), New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, the British Museum, and the Guimet Museum in Paris also have substantial collections. In 1920, Kà Âjirà  Matsukata bought a large number of ukiyo-e prints in Paris and brought them back to Japan. These 70 pieces reside at the Tokyo National Museum, 3 of which are unique.
The prints bear no titles, and descriptive titles vary in both Japanese and English. Amongst the variations in Japanese are the numbering for the generations of actors; for example, a second-generation actor's name might have nidai () or nidaime () prepended in some sources and nisei () in others, or the generation might be absent. The list here does not give variant titles, and the titles given are not official.
Sharaku's prints appeared in the common print sizes à Âban, hosoban, and aiban. The approximate dimensions of these sizes are:
Sharaku's prints are divided into four periods. The prints of the first two periods are signed "Tà Âshà «sai Sharaku" (), and the latter two only
The print sizes progressively became 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 first period is made up of twenty-eight known prints, each in à Âban size. They appeared in the 5th month of Kansei 6, which fell from 29 May to 26 June 1794. They depict actors in their rôles in the kabuki plays Hana-ayame Bunroku Soga, Katakiuchi Noriai-banashi, Koi Nyà Âbà  Somewake Tazuna, and Yoshitsune Senbon-zakura.
Playwright Matsui Yà «suke's Hana-ayame Bunroku Soga (, "Blooming Iris, Soga of the Bunroku Era") is a kabuki adaptation of a true story of revenge, the early 18th-century in which the Ishii brothers Hanzà  and Genzà  spent 28 years to exact revenge on their father Uemon's murderer. The story enjoyed great popularity and had several theatrical adaptations.
The play débuted at the Miyako-za theatre in the 5th month of 6th year of Kansei. Many details of it are no longer known. Ishii Genzà  tries to kill his enemy Fujikawa Mizuemon, who instead kills Genzà  and his wife. The plot then follows Genzà Â's retainer Tanabe Bunzà  and Genzà Â's orphaned son, who set off to exact revenge. à Âgishi Kurando plays a selfless, stately samurai who lends a hand, and Bunzà Â's retainer Sodesuke serves as comic relief. Hakujin Onayo's rôle is unknown, but it is thought she helps out with the revenge.
Sodesuke is a faithful foot-man of the Ishii family. He is present in the first scene, arriving late to meet his master Ishii Hyà Âei () at a shrine in Hamamatsu in Tà Âtà Âmi Province. He witnesses a group including Fujikawa Mizuemon ambush and kill Hyà Âei before the shrine under cover of darkness. Sodesuke brings Hyà Âei's body to Hyà Âei's eldest son Genzà Â, in the middle of Genzà Â's wedding, and explains what has happened. Sharaku depicts a shockeded Sodesuke as he arrives at the scene of his master's murder.
18 copies are known of the à Âban print of à Âtani Tokuji I (1756âÂÂ1807) as the manservant Sodesuke ( '); one each are in the collections of the Tokyo National Museum, the Japan Ukiyo-e Museum, the Ukiyo-e à Âta Memorial Museum of Art, the Baur Foundation, the Museum of Asian Art, the British Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Brooklyn Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Edoardo Chiossone Museum of Oriental Art, the Honolulu Museum of Art, the Harvard Art Museums, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Worcester Art Museum, and another is in a private collection.
The powerful Mizuemon, resentful at having lost a sword fight to his patron Ishii Hyà Âei, murders Hyà Âei and steals from him a secret book on Japanese swordsmanship. Hyà Âei's sons attempt revenge, but in the third act Mizuemon kills Hyà Âei's eldest son Genzà  and his wife at the Abe River in neighbouring Suruga Province. Sharaku depicts Mizuemon at the scene of his murder of Genzà Â. The print pairs with the one of Bandà  Mitsugorà  II as Ishii Genzà Â.
13 copies are known of the à Âban print of Sakata Hangorà  III as Fujikawa Mizuemon ( '); one each are in the collections of the Tokyo National Museum, the Ukiyo-e à Âta Memorial Museum of Art, the Yamatane Museum, the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the Rijksmuseum, the Galerie Berès, the British Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Guimet Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Allen Memorial Art Museum, and a private collection.
When Ishii Genzà  learns of the murder of his father in the middle of his wedding, he commits himself to revenge. He attacks the murderer Mizuemon's father in the second act, and in the third tries to kill Mizuemon at the Abe River in Suruga Province, but Mizuemon turns then table and kills Genzà  and his wife. Sharaku depicts Genzà  at his encounter with Mizuemon at the Abe River. The print pairs with the one of Sakata Hangorà  III as Fujikawa Mizuemon.
9 copies of the à Âban print of Bandà  Mitsugorà  II as Ishii Genzà  ( '); one each are in the collections of the Tokyo National Museum, the Nara Prefectural Museum of Art, the Galerie Berès, the British Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Royal Museums of Art and History, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Guimet Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Tà Âma is one of Mizuemon's followers, and Onayo a prostitute of the Gion district. The print depicts the pair in the fourth act, when Tà Âma has fallen into such financial ruin that he takes on work as a gidayà « reciter in bunraku puppet theatre. At this point, he becomes involved with Hakujin Onayo, a prostitute of the Gion district.
6 copies are known of the à Âban print of Sanogawa Ichimatsu III as Hakujin Onayo of Gion and Ichikawa Tomiemon as Kanisaka Tà Âma ( '); one each are in the collections of the Tokyo National Museum, the Rijksmuseum, the Museum of Asian Art, the Royal Museums of Art and History, and the Art Institute of Chicago, and another is in a private collection.
Hakujin Onayo is a prostitute of Gion, played by Ichimatsu, an onnagataâÂÂa male actor who performed female rôles. Her rôle in the narrative is unknown, but it is thought she helps out with the revenge. She may have played a rôle similar to that of Okaru in the Kanadehon Chà «shingura; Okaru had herself sold into prostitution to raise funds a vendetta. She wears on her clothes the hiragana character "ãÂÂ" ("i") enclosed in a circleâÂÂthe same mon crest the karà  à Âgishi Kurando wears.
10 copies are known of the à Âban print of Sanogawa Ichimatsu III as Hakujin Onayo of Gion ( '). One copy each are in the collections of the Tokyo National Museum, the Hiraki Ukiyo-e Foundation, the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the British Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Royal Museums of Art and History, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Edoardo Chiossone Museum of Oriental Art, and the Guimet Museum; and one in a private collection.
à Âgishi Kurando is the karà  (house elder) of the Momoi daimyà  family of Kameyama Castle and sympathizes with the Ishii brothers. He wears on his clothes a mon crest with the hiragana character "ãÂÂ" ("i") enclosed in a circle, for which Mizuemon mistakes him for a member of the Ishiis in the fifth act and attacks him at a teahouse in Gion. Kurando discovers that his attacker is Mizuemon, and that he has the secret book of swordsmanship. Kurando goes on to help the Ishii brothers get their revenge in the seventh act. Sharaku depicts Kurando at the teahouse in the fifth act.
11 copies are known of the à Âban print of Sawamura Sà Âjà «rà  III as à Âgishi Kurando ( '); one each are in the collections of the Tokyo National Museum, the British Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Honolulu Museum of Art, the Harvard Art Museums, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art; two are in the collection of the Guimet Museum; and two are in private collections.
Oshizu is the wife of the Ishii foot-soldier Tanabe Bunzà Â, who runs into financial ruin in faithful service to his masters. The print depicts Oshizu in the sixth act, as they struggle to repay a usurer and resort to prostituting their daughter Omitsu. She wraps her head in a yamai hachimaki (, "sickness headband"), a purple headband of silk crepe often worn in kabuki to indicate sickness. Above it a yellow comb decorates the hair. The kimono is white with a faded violet pattern, under which are green and rose garments, all bound with a black obi sash. The portrait is on a dark mica background, and mica is dusted on the collar.
16 copies are known of the à Âban print of as Oshizu, wife of Tanabe ( '); one each in the collection of the Tokyo National Museum, the , Hiraki Ukiyo-e Foundation, the British Museum, the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Edoardo Chiossone Museum of Oriental Art, the Guimet Museum, the Harvard Art Museums, the Museum Five Continents, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Museum of Applied Arts, Vienna; and three are in private collections.
Bunzà  is an Ishii retainer who devoted himself to the brothers' revenge. In the third act, at the Abe River in Suruga Province in the third act, Mizuemon's group fends off Genzà Â's group, kills Genzà  and his wife, and cripples Bunzà  with a wound to the leg. The print depicts Bunzà  in the sixth act as an impoverished rà Ânin at the Ishibe-juku in à Âmi Province.
11 copies are known of the à Âban print of Ichikawa Yaozà  III as Tanabe Bunzà  ( '); one each in the collection of the Tokyo National Museum, the Hiraki Ukiyo-e Foundation, the British Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Royal Museums of Art and History, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Grabhorn Collection at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, the Guimet Museum, the Honolulu Museum of Art, and the Harvard Art Museums; and one is in a private collection.
The name "Ishibe Kinkichi" is used as a common noun in Japanese to refer to a person with an inflexible character; the play's character, a moneylender at Ishibe-juku in à Âmi Province, has a personality lacking in humanity and empathy. In the sixth act, when the destitute Tanabe Bunzà  and his wife Oshizu are unable to repay a debt to him, Kinkichi has them sell him their daughter Omitsu as a prostitute. The actor Ryà «zà  was known as a master of villainous rôles, and Sharaku's print expresses his hard, unempathetic character in this scene.
22 copies are known of the à Âban print of Arashi Ryà «zà  II as Ishibe Kinkichi the moneylender ( '). One each are in the collections of the Tokyo National Museum, Jà Âsai University, the Hiraki Ukiyo-e Foundation, the Yamatane Museum, the British Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, the Royal Museums of Art and History, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Guimet Museum, the Honolulu Museum of Art, the Harvard Art Museums, the , the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Yale University Art Gallery; two are in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; and four are in private collections. It holds the record auction price for a Sharaku print; it sold for ⬠at in Paris in 2009. It had earlier sold at Sotheby's in 1975 for US$ and in 1989 at Christie's for GBPã.
The scene is from the seventh act, at the à Âgishi manor below Kameyama Castle. The print contrasts Tomisaburà Â's slender face with the jowly Man'yo.
7 copies are known of the à Âban print of Segawa Tomisaburà  II as Yadorigi, wife of à Âgishi Kurando, and Nakamura Man'yo as the chambermaid Wakakusa ( '). One each is in the collections of the Tokyo National Museum, the Hiraki Ukiyo-e Foundation, the Rijksmuseum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Dutch National Museum of Ethnology, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Tomisaburà  was a student of Segawa Kikunojà  III, whose style as an onnagata he imitated. He was considered a versatile actor who excelled at rôles as young girls and courtesans, but who lack in social graces, for which he was given nicknames such as Iya-Tomi or Niku-Tomi (both roughly "Horrid Tomi").
It is not known what scene this image represents, but it is assumed to be a different one from that of the other portrait of Yadorigi, as her clothes are different. Some have suggested the scene may be from Act 5.
10 copies are known of the à Âban print of Segawa Tomisaburà  II as Yadorigi, wife of à Âgishi Kurando ( '); one each are in the collections of the Tokyo National Museum, the , Jà Âsai University, the British Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Royal Museums of Art and History, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and two at the Guimet Museum.
Katakiuchi Noriai-banashi (, "A Medley of Tales of Revenge") by the playwright débuted at the Kiri-za in the 5th month of the 6th year of Kansei. The play combines two revenge tales: Katakiuchi Ganryà «jima (, "Ganryà «-jima Revenge") and Gotaiheiki Shiroishi Banashi (, "The Tale of Shiroishi and the Taihei Chronicles"). The play's villain Shiga Daishichi murders Matsushita Mikinoshin, whose death his daughters Miyagino and Shinobu spend years to avenge, with the help of GorobÃÂ, a fishmonger of San'ya.
Mikinoshin is a rà Ânin who has fallen sick and fallen into poverty; he is the father of two daughters, Miyagino and Shinobu. Sharaku depicts him in a miserable state here in the third act, in which the villains Shiga Daishichi and an accomplice murder him. Onoe Matsusuke was best known for his rôles as villains, but performed in this play as the lead protagonist.
à Âban print of Onoe Matsusuke I as Matsushita Mikinoshin ( ')
à Âban print of Ichikawa Komazà  III as Shiga Daishichi ( ')
Jirà Âsaku is Miyagino's palanquin-bearer, and has transported Miyagino to the red-light district to visit his daughter, whom he has sold into prostitution. Jirà Âsaku appears during the performance of the dance segment "Hana-ayame omoi no kanzashi" (, "Iris Headdress of Remembrance") in the fourth act. He takes the rôle of Japanese bush warbler in the dance, opposite Soga no Jà «rà  Sukenari disguised as Gorobàas lesser cuckoo; Jà «rà  is a faithful servant of the Sogas.
9 copies are known of the à Âban print of Morita Kan'ya VIII as the palanquin-bearer Uguisu no Jirà Âsaku ( '); one each is in the collections of the Tokyo National Museum, the Yamatane Museum, the Museum of Asian Art, the British Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Royal Museums of Art and History, the Guimet Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Allen Memorial Art Museum.
à Âban print of Matsumoto Yonesaburà  I as Kewaizaka no Shà Âshà Â, actually Shinobu ( ')
8 copies are known of the à Âban print of Nakayama Tomisaburà  I as Miyagino ( '). One each is in the collections of the Tokyo National Museum, the Nara Prefectural Museum of Art, the British Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Edoardo Chiossone Museum of Oriental Art, the Harvard Art Museums, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and another is in a private collection.
à Âban print of Matsumoto Kà Âshirà  IV as San'ya no Sakanaya Gorobà( ')
à Âban print of Nakajima Wadaemon I as Bà Âdara Chà Âzaemon and Nakamura Konozà  I as Gon of the Kanagawaya ( ')
There are few details about Bà Âdara Chà Âzaemon and Gon of the Kanagawaya, who appear together in this print, but they are said to have been minor characters in Katakiuchi Noriai-banashi. Sharaku has nonetheless delineated their traits as carefully as he has those of the main characters.
Koi Nyà Âbà  Somewake Tazuna (, "The Loving Wife's Particoloured Reins") débuted in 1751 in Osaka as a bunraku puppet play and arrived in Edo later the same year as a kabuki play at the Nakamura-za (later called the Miyako-za).
The scene focuses on the adulterous relationship of Date no Yosaku, who is a retainer of the Yurugi clan of Tanba Province, and the woman-in-waiting Shigenoi. Trouble befalls the couple at the hands of those such as the wicked retainer Washizuka Happeiji, who has the manservant Edobei steal public funds from Yosaku. Shigenoi gives birth to Yosaku's son, and her father, the Noh master Takemura Sadanoshin, takes responsibility by killing himself by seppuku. The Yurugi daimyà  takes in Shigenoi as a wet nurse for his daughter Shirabe-hime, but she is forced to part with Yosaku and their son. Amongst the other characters Sharaku depicts are the Yurugi house's messenger Sagisaka Sanai, Yosaku's manservant Ippei; the character Osagawa Tsuneyo II plays is not certain, but may be Ippei's sister Osan.
à Âban print of Ichikawa Omezà  I as the manservant (yakko) Ippei ( ')
à Âban print of à Âtani Oniji III as the manservant Edobei ( ')
Later in the year, à Âtani Oniji III succeeded to the stage name of Nakamura Nakazà  I and became Nakamura Nakazà  II. He performed in Uruà  Toshi Meika no Homare and appears in Sharaku's print of Nakamura Nakazà  II as Saizà  Saiwaka.
à Âban print of Iwai Hanshirà  IV as the wet nurse Shigenoi ( ')
à Âban print of Ichikawa Monnosuke II as Date no Yosaku ( ')
à Âban print of Bandà  Hikosaburà  III as Sagisaka Sanai ( ')
à Âban print of Tanimura Torazà  I as Washizuka Happeiji ( ')
à Âban print of Ichikawa Ebizà  I as Takemura Sadanoshin ( ')
à Âban print of Osagawa Tsuneyo II as Ippei's sister Osan ( ')
à Âban print of Iwai Kiyotarà  I as Fujinami, wife of Sagisaka Sanai, and Bandà  Zenji I as Kozasa, wife of Washizuka Kandayà « ( ')
à Âban print of Sawamura Yodogorà  II as Kawatsura Hà Âgen and Bandà  Zenji I as Oni Sadobà  ( ')
Before a performance and between scenes, a backstage representative or one of the actors came onstage to give a kà Âjà  () announcement to the audience about such things as scene changes, actors' name changes, and actor promotions. Here, the actor Shinozuka Uraemon I wears the Miyako-za mon crest on his sleeve and reads an announcement that bleeds through the scroll he holds. It reads:
Seven copies are known Shinozuka Uraemon I as the announcer at Miyako-za ( '); one each are in the Tokyo National Museum, the British Museum, the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Royal Museums of Art and History, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Copies exist of a different state that lacks the writing on the scroll.
Three copies are known of the hosoban print of Yamashina Shirà Âjà «rà  as Nagoya Sanzaemon ( '), one each in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Grabhorn Collection at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The hosoban print of Sanokawa Ichimatsu III as Sekinoto, wife of Fuwa Benzaemon ( ') is known only through a black-and-white reproduction in Sharaku (1932). It is not known where the copy reproduced is.
Four copies are known of the hosoban print of Ichikawa Danjà «rà  VI as Fuwa no Bansaku ( '), one each in the collections of the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Honolulu Museum of Art, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Three copies are known of the hosoban print of Arashi Ryà «zà  II as the servant (yakko) Ukiyo Matabei ( '), one each in the collections of the Tokyo National Museum, Jà Âsai University, and the Art Institute of Chicago.
Four copies are known of the à Âban print of Arashi Ryà «zà  II as the manservant Ukiyo Matabei, and à Âtani Hiroji III as the manservant Tosa no Matabei ( '), one each in the collections of Tokyo National Museum, the Japan Ukiyo-e Museum, and the Hiraki Ukiyo-e Foundation, and another in a private collection.
Two copies are known of the hosoban print of à Âtani Hiroji III as the servant (yakko) Tosa no Matabei ( '); one each are in the collections of the Tokyo National Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Four copies of the hosoban print of Bandà  Mitsugorà  II as the farmer Fukakusa no Jirà Âsaku ( '), one each in the collections of the Tokyo National Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and another in a private collection.
Seven copies are known of the hosoban print of Ichikawa Tomiemon I as Inokuma Monbei ( '), one each in the collections of the Tokyo National Museum, the Rijksmuseum, the M. Walter Amstutz Collection, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Guimet Museum, and the Honolulu Museum of Art.
Four copies are known of the hosoban print of à Âtani Tokuji I as ( ', one each in the collections of the Tokyo National Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Edoardo Chiossone Museum of Oriental Art, and another in a private collection.
Two copies of the hosoban print of Sakata Hangorà  III as Kosodate Kannonbà  ( ); one each are in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Art Institute of Chicago.
Two copies are known of the hosoban print of Segawa Tomisaburà  II as the Courtesan Tà Âyama, and Ichikawa Kurizà  as Higashiyama Yoshiwakamaru ( '; one each are in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
hosoban print of Ichikawa Yaozà  III as Fuwa Banzaemon Shigekatsu ( ')
(1751âÂÂ1810) as the courtesan Katsuragi ( '
hosoban print of Sawamura Sà Âjà «rà  III as Nagoya Sanza ( ')
à Âban print of Sawamura Sà Âjà «rà  III as Nagoya Sanza, and Segawa Kikunojà  III as the courtesan Katsuragi ( ')
à Âban print of Ichikawa Yaozà  III as Fuwa Banzaemon, and Sakata Hangorà  III as Kosodate Kannonbà  ( ')
Four copies are known of the hosoban print of Nakayama Tomisaburà  I as Yoshioki's wife Tsukuba Gozen ( '); one each are in the collections of the , Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Art Institute of Chicago, and another is in a private collection.
Three copies are known of the hosoban print of Nakamura Kumetarà  II as Yura Hyà Âgonosuke's wife Minato ( '); one is in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and two in that of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
One copy is known of the hosoban print of Ichikawa Komazà  III as Minase Rokurà  Munezumi in a ( '); it is in the collection of the Guimet Museum.
Two copies are known of the hosoban print of Ichikawa Komazà  III as Minase Rokurà  Munezumi as a pilgrim ( '); one each are in the collections of the Tokyo National Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Three copies are known of the hosoban print of Nakajima Kanzà  II as Negoto no Chà Âzà  the packhorse driver ( '); one is in the collections of the Tokyo National Museum and the others are in that of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Five copies are known of the hosoban print of Morita Kan'ya VIII as Yura Hyà Âgonosuke ( '); one each are in the collections of Jà Âsai University and the Art Institute of Chicago, and the others are in private collections.
Yomo no Nishiki Kokyà  no Tabi-ji () débuted at the Kiri-za theatre in the 8th month of 6th year of Kansei.
Two copies are known of hosoban print of as the maid Otsuyu ( '), one each in the collections of the Tokyo National Museum and the Museum of Asian Art.
One copy is known of the hosoban print of Nakajima Wadaemon I as Tanbaya Hachiemon ( '); it is in a private collection.
One copy is known of the hosoban print of Matsumoto Kà Âshirà  IV as the hick spendthrift from Yamato, actually Ninokuchimura Magoemon ( '); it is in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Six copies are known of the à Âban print of Ichikawa Komazà  III as Kameya Chà «bei, and Nakayama Tomisaburà  as Umegawa ( '), one each in the collections of the Tokyo National Museum, the Hiraki Ukiyo-e Foundation, the British Museum, and the Bibliothèque nationale de France, and two in that of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Six copies are known of the à Âban print of Matsumoto Kà Âshirà  IV as Ninokuchimura Magoemon, and Nakayama Tomisaburà  as Umegawa ( '), one each in the collections of the Tokyo National Museum, the Baur Foundation, the Royal Museums of Art and History, and the Harvard Art Museums, and two in that of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Two copies are known of the hosoban print of à Âtani Oniji II as Kawashima Jibugorà  ( '), one in the collection of the Tokyo National Museum and the other in a private collection.
One copy is known of the hosoban print of I as Tomita Hyà Âtarà  ( '); it is in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Eight copies are known of the à Âban print of Ichikawa Omezà  I as Tomita Hyà Âtarà  and à Âtani Oniji III as Kawashima Jibugorà  ( ), one each in the collections of the Tokyo National Museum, the British Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Royal Museums of Art and History, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Guimet Museum, the Honolulu Museum of Art, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The print was earlier thought to be of Ichikawa Omezà  I as Sekitori Ikazuchi Tsurunosuke and à Âtani Oniji III as Ukiyo Tsuchihei ( ).
Nihon-matsu Michinoku Sodachi Niban-me ()
Two copies are known of the hosoban print of Bandà  Hikosaburà  III as Obiya Chà Âemon ( '); one is in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the other in the Grabhorn Collection at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.
One copy is known of the hosoban print of Iwai Hanshirà  IV as O-Han of the Shinanoya ( '); it is in the collection of the Museum of Asian Art.
One copy is known of the hosoban print of Iwai Kiyotarà  II as O-Sode, daughter of Futamiya ( '); it is in the collection of the Hiraki Ukiyo-e Foundation.
One copy is known of the hosoban print of Tanimura Torazà  I as Kataoka Kà Âemon ( '); it is in the collection of the Tokyo National Museum.
One copy is known of the hosoban print of Ichikawa Ebizà  I as Ranmyaku no Kichi ( '); it is in the collection of the Tokyo National Museum.
One copy is known of the hosoban print of Osagawa Tsuneyo II as Chà Âemon's wife Okinu ( '); it is in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
Three copies are known of the à Âban print of Bandà  Hikosaburà  III as Obiya Chà Âemon and Iwai Hanshirà  IV as O-Han of the Shinanoya ( '), one each in the Art Institute of Chicago, the Grabhorn Collection at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
47 hosoban, 13 aiban, and 4 à Âban prints make up the third period (1794âÂÂ1795). They appeared in the eleventh month of the 6th year of Kansei.
11 of the 13 aiban prints are à Âkubi yakusha-e. Amongst the details that set these works apart from Sharaku's earlier and later ones are the inclusion of a crest in the corner of each, and five of these prints feature clearly visible ears drawn with six lines, whereas those of Sharaku's other works are drawn with five lines. Hiroshi Matsuki proposed that these 11 prints could be attributed to Kabukidà  Enkyà Â, an artist who produced 7 known prints in and whose identity is unknown. Enkyà  is the only other ukiyo-e artist known to have produced aiban-sized à Âkubi-e yakusha-e during the Edo period.
Uruà  Toshi Meika no Homare () débuted at the Miyako-za in the 11th month of the 6th year of Gansei.
Four copies are known of hosoban print of Arashi Ryà «zà  II as à Âtomo Yamanushi ( '), one each in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Grabhorn Collection at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, the Guimet Museum, and the Minneapolis Institute of Art.
Two copies of the hosoban print of Sanokawa Ichimatsu III as Ihohata ( ') are known, one in the collection of Tokyo National Museum and the other at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
One copy is known of the hosoban print of Bandà  Mitsugorà  III as Katsura Kokingo Haruhisa (, ') and is at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Three copies are known of the hosoban print of Segawa Kikunojà  III as the shirabyà Âshi Hisakata disguised as Yamato Manzai ( '); one copy each in the collections of the Tokyo National Museum, the Museum of Asian Art, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
This print pairs with Nakamura Nakazà  II as Saizà  Saiwaka and comes from the fourth part of Uruà  Toshi Meika no Homare, à Âshukubai Koi no Hatsune (). Saiwaka and Manzai emerge from the hanamichi and perform a seated dance with three other characters. Manzai then acts as one of the go-betweens in a love affair between Princess Konohana and Munesada.
One copy is known of the hosoban print of Nakamura Nakazà  II as Aramaki Mimishirà  Taketora disguised as Saizà  Saiwaka (, '); it is at the Art Institute of Chicago.
This print pairs with Segawa Kikunojà  III as Yamato Manzai and comes from the fourth part of Uruà  Toshi Meika no Homare, à Âshukubai Koi no Hatsune (). Saiwaka and Manzai emerge from the hanamichi and perform a seated dance with three other characters. Saiwaka then acts as one of the go-betweens in a love affair between Princess Konohana and Munesada before finally revealing himself as Aramaki Mimishirà  before Hatano Daizen Taketora.
Nakamura Nakazà  II succeeded to this stage name in the eleventh month of Kansei 6; before this he was known as à Âtani Oniji III, who appears in several other Sharaku prints, including à Âtani Oniji III as the manservant Edobei.
Two copies known of the hosoban print of Nakamura Nakazà  II as Aramaki Mimishirà  Kanetora (, '), one each at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
One copy is known of the hosoban print of Nakamura Noshio II as the poet Ki no Tsurayuki's daughter Konohana ( '); it is at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
One copy is known of the hosoban print of Segawa Kikunojà  III as the shirabyà Âshi Hisakata of Miyako Kujà  ( ') and is at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Four copies are known of the hosoban print of Sawamura Sà Âjà «rà  III as Kujaku Saburà  Narihira ( '), one each in the collections of the Tokyo National Museum, the Ukiyo-e à Âta Memorial Museum of Art, the Royal Library of Belgium, and the Art Institute of Chicago.
One copy is known of the hosoban print of Kataoka Nizaemon VII as ; it is at the Ukiyo-e à Âta Memorial Museum of Art.
One copy of the hosoban print of Segawa Kikunojà  III as Hanazono, wife of à Âtomo no Kuronushi (); it is in a private collection.
Six copies are known of the hosoban print of Sawamura Sà Âjà «rà  III as the poet à Âtomo no Kuronushi, one each at the Tokyo National Museum, the Ukiyo-e à Âta Memorial Museum of Art, the Edoardo Chiossone Museum of Oriental Art, and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, and two at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Three copies are known of the hosoban print of Nakamura Noshio II as the poet Ono no Komachi ( '), one each at the Tokyo National Museum, the Ukiyo-e à Âta Memorial Museum of Art, and one in a private collection.
Two copies of the hosoban print of Bandà  Hikosaburà  III as Godai Saburà  are known, one at the Art Institute of Chicago and the other in the Grabhorn Collection at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.
Three copies of the hosoban print of Segawa Tomisaburà  II as Prince Koretaka disguised as the à Âtomos' maid Wakakusa are known, one each in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
One copy of the hosoban print of à Âtani Hiroji III as Hata no Daizen Taketora ( ') is known and is at the Tokyo National Museum.
Three copies are known of the aiban print of Nakamura Nakazà  II as Prince Koretaka disguised as the farmer Tsuchizà  ( '), one each in the collections of the Tokyo National Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Two copies are known of the aiban print of Sawamura Sà Âjà «rà  III as Kujaku Saburà  Narihira ( '), one each in the collections of the Tokyo National Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago.
Otokoyama Oedo no Ishizue () débuted at the Kiri-za in the 11th month of the 6th year of Gansei.
Two copies are known of the hosoban print of Ichikawa Ebizà  I as Kamakura Gongorà  Kagemasa ( '), one each in the collections of the Kunsthalle Bremen and the Harvard Arthur M. Sackler Museum.
Three copies are known of the hosoban print of Sakakiyama Sangorà  II as Michinaga's daughter Princess Odae ( '), one each in the collections of the Royal Museums of Art and History, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Three copies are known of the hosoban print of Ichikawa Danjà «rà  VI as Mimana Yukinori ( '); it is in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Kunsthalle Bremen, and the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg.
One copy is known of the hosoban print of Ichikawa Yaozà  III as Chà «zà  Sanekata disguised as the sparrow-seller Bunji Yasukata ( ') and is in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
One copy is known of the hosoban print of Sakata Hangorà  III as Yahazu no Yahatei ( '); it is in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Two copies are known of the hosoban print of Nakayama Tomisaburà  I as the cowherd Ofude ( '); one each are in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Portland Art Museum.
Two copies of the hosoban print of Ichikawa Yaozà  III as a kamuro performing a Lion Dance are known, one in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the other in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It forms the right half of a diptych with Nakayama Tomisaburà  I as a kamuro performing a Lion Dance.
Three copies of the hosoban print of Nakayama Tomisaburà  I as a kamuro performing a Lion Dance are known, two in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the other in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It forms the left half of a diptych with Ichikawa Yaozà  III as a kamuro performing a Lion Dance.
Five copies of the hosoban print of Ichikawa Ebizà  I as Abe no Sadatà  disguised as the itinerant monk Ryà Âzan are known, one each in the collections of the Tokyo National Museum, the Rijksmuseum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Art Institute of Chicago, and in a private collection.
One copy of the hosoban print of Morita Kan'ya VIII as Genkaibà  Ajari is known and is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
One copy is known of the hosoban print of Nakayama Tomisaburà  I as Teriha, the younger sister of Sadatà Â, disguised as Ohisa, the wife of Sazanami Tatsugorà  ( '); it is in the collection of the Tokyo National Museum.
Two copies are known of the aiban print of Ichikawa Yaozà  III as Hachiman Tarà  Minamoto no Yoshiie, one each in the collections of the Tokyo National Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago.
Three copies are known of the aiban print of Ichikawa Danjà «rà  VI as Arakawa Tarà  Takesada ( '); they are in the collections of the Tokyo National Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg.
Three copies are known of the aiban print of Nakayama Tomisaburà  I as Teriha, the younger sister of Sadatà Â, disguised as Ohisa, the wife of Sazanami Tatsugorà  ( '); one each are in the collections of the Tokyo National Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Art Institute of Chicago.
One copy is known of the hosoban print of Ichikawa Ebizà  I as Abe no Sadatà  disguised as Kamakura Gondayà « ( '); it is in the collection of the Harvard Arthur M. Sackler Museum.
One copy is known of the hosoban print of Ichikawa Yaozà  III as Hachiman Tarà  Yoshiie ( '); it is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Otokoyama Oedo no Ishizue Niban-me () débuted at the Kiri-za in the 11th month of the 6th year of Gansei.
Seven copies are known of the aiban print of Yamashita Kinsaku II as Abe Sadatà Â's wife Iwate Gozen disguised as the maid Ebizà  Okane (Tennà Âjiya Rikà Â) ( ') known; one each are in the collections of the Tokyo National Museum, the Japan Ukiyo-e Museum, the British Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and two in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
One copy is known of the hosoban print of Ichikawa Yaozà  III as Saeki Kurando Tsunenori ( ') and is in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Two copies are known of the hosoban print of Yamashita Kinsaku II as Abe Sadatà Â's wife Iwate Gozen disguised as the maid Ebizà  Okane (plum-tree background) ( '); one each are in the collections of M. Walter Anstutz and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Two copies are known of the hosoban print of Yamashita Kinsaku II as Iwate Gozen, wife of Abe Sadatà Â, holding an umbrella ( '); one each are in the collections of the Hiraki Ukiyo-e Foundation and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
One copy is known of the hosoban print of Sakata Hangorà  III as Kurisaka Tarà  Tomonori disguised as the groom Abumizuri no Iwazà  in Koriyama ( ') and is in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Matsu wa Misao Onna Kusunoki (, "Steadfast as the pine tree is the woman of the Kusanoki clan") débuted at the Kawarazaki-za in the 11th month of the 6th year of Gansei.
One copy is known of the hosoban print of Onoe Matsusuke I as Ashikaga Takauji ( '); it is in the Toledo Museum of Art.
Three copies are known of the hosoban print of Ichikawa Komazà  III as Shinozuka Gorà  (Sadatsuna) ( '); one each are in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, and another in a private collection.
Three copies are known of the hosoban print of Iwai Hanshirà  IV as ( '); one each are in the collections of the Tokyo National Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and another is in a private collection.
The print was earlier believed to have been of Osagawa Tsuneyo II as Kojima, the wife of Bingo Saburà  ( ').
Two copies are known of the hosoban print of Ichikawa Komazà  III as Oyamada Tarà  Takaie disguised as Nitta Yoshisada ( '); one is in the collection of the and the other in a private collection.
Three copies are known of the hosoban print of Iwai Hanshirà  IV as Chihaya, the younger sister of the Shintà  priest Kenkà  ( '); one each are in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the New York Public Library, and another is in a private collection.
Three copies known of the hosoban print of Iwai Hanshirà  IV as the pilgrim O-Toma, daughter of O-Hina from Inamuragasaki in Kamakura '); one each is in the collections of the Tokyo National Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Art Institute of Chicago.
One copy is known of the hosoban print of Onoe Matsusuke I as the lay priest Yuasa Magoroku ( '); it is in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
One copy of the hosoban print of Ichikawa Komazà  III as the monk Saihà  no Mida Jirà Â, actually Sagami Jirà  Tokiyuki ( '); it is in the collection of the Royal Museums of Art and History.
One copy is known of the hosoban print of Iwai Hanshirà  IV as Kusunoki Masashige's wife Kikusui disguised as O-Hina's daughter O-Toma from Inamuragasaki in Kamakura ( '); it is in the collection of the Royal Library of Belgium.
Matsu ha Misao Onna Kusunoki Niban-me () débuted at the Kawarazaki-za in the 11th month of the 6th year of Gansei.
The five prints here form a pentaptych.
Three copies are known of the hosoban print of Osagawa Tsuneyo II as the hairdresser O-Roku ( '); one each are in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Guimet Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
One copy is known of the hosoban print Ichikawa Komazà  III as ( '); it is in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
One copy is known of the hosoban print of Iwai Hanshirà  IV as Otoma, daughter of Ohina from Inamuragasaki in Kamakura ( '); it is in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Six copies are known of the hosoban print of Matsumoto Kà Âshirà  IV as disguised as the boatman Minagawa Shin'emon of Reisengasaki in Kamakura ( '), one each in the collections of the Waseda University Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Portland Art Museum, and one each in three private collections.
Three copies are known of the hosoban print of Nakajima Wadaemon I as Migawari no Jizà Â, the master of the house ( '); one each are in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Art Institute of Chicago.
Matsu ha Misao Onna Kusunoki Shin Kyà Âgen () débuted at the Kawarazaki-za in the 11th month of the 6th year of Gansei.
Three copies are known of the aiban print of Ichikawa Komazà  III as à Âdate Sabanosuke Terukado ( '), one each in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the National Museum, Kraków, and the Portland Art Museum. The print was earlier thought to be of Ichikawa Komazà  III as Oyamada Tarà  ( ').
One copy is known of the aiban print of Iwai Hanshirà  IV as Sabanosuke's younger sister Saeda disguised as Ukiyonosuke's maid servant San ( '); it is in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Hana no Miyako Kuruwa no Nawabari () débuted at the Miyako-za in the 11th month of the 6th year of Gansei.
Two copies are known of the aiban print of Bandà  Mitsugorà  II as the manservant Kugahei ( '); one is at the Tokyo National Museum, the other in a private collection.
Four copies are known of the aiban print of Segawa Kikunojà  III as the maid O-Hama ( '; one each are in the collections of the Tokyo National Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Guimet Museum.
One copy is known of the aiban print of Arashi Ryà «zà  II as the manservant Namihei (Toraya Toramaru) ( '); it is in the Royal Museums of Art and History.
10 hosoban and 5 aiban prints make up the fourth period from the first month of Kansei 7 (1795). 3 prints come from Nido no Kake Katsuiro Soga at the Kiri-za; 7 from Edo Sunago Kichirei Soga and Godairiki Koi no Fà «jime at the Miyako-za; 1 is a sumo print; 2 are musha-e warrior prints; and 1 is of the god of luck Ebisu.
Edo Sunago Kichirei Soga () débuted at the Miyako-za in the 1st month of the 7th year of Gansei.
Two copies are known of the hosoban print of Bandà  Hikosaburà  III as Kudà Âzaemon Suketsune ( '); one each is in the collections of the Tokyo National Museum and the National Museum of Ethnology.
Three copies are known of the hosoban print of Sawamura Sà Âjà «rà  III as Soga Jà «rà  Sukenari ( '); one each is in the collections of the Tokyo National Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and in the M. Walter Amstutz Collection.
One copy is known of the hosoban print of Bandà  Mitsugorà  II as Soga Gorà  Tokimune ( '); it is in the collection of the Tokyo National Museum.
Edo Sunago Kichirei Soga Niban-me (, later titled Godairiki Koi no Fà «jime ) débuted at the Miyako-za in the 1st month of the 7th year of Gansei. It is based on an incident from 1742 in which the Satsuma samurai Hayata Hachiemon killed five people in Osaka. This version is a revision of an adaptation under the title Godairiki Koi no Fà «jime that débuted in Kyoto the previous year; the Edo version did not take the title Godairiki Koi no Fà «jime until 1800.
One copy of the hosoban print of Segawa Tomisaburà  II as the maid Ochiyo is known and is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The print was earlier believed to have been of the geisha Asaka.
One copy is known of the hosoban print of Segawa Yà «jirà  II as the maid Otowa ( '); it is in a private collection.
Two copies are known of the hosoban print of Sawamura Sà Âjà «rà  III as Satsuma Gengobei ( '), one each in the collections of the Tokyo National Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
One copy is known of the hosoban print of Iwao Kumesaburà  I as the geisha Kumekichi ( '); it is in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Nido no Kake Katsuiro Soga () débuted at the Kiri-za in the 1st month of the 7th year of Gansei.
Three copies are known of the hosoban print of Ichikawa Ebizà  I as Kudà Âzaemon Suketsune ( '); one each are in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Guimet Museum.
Two copies are known of the hosoban print of Ichikawa Danjà «rà  VI as Soga Gà Ârà  Tokimune ( '); one each are in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Art Institute of Chicago.
Ichikawa Yaozà  III as Soga Jà «rà  Sukenari ( ')
One copy is known of the hosoban print of Ichikawa Yaozà  III as Soga Jà «rà  Sukenari ( '); it is in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
was born in what is now Yamagata Prefecture in 1788. By 1794 he weighed at a height of . He attracted attention for his size, and drew crowds at sumo tournaments, where he dressed as a sumo wrestler and performed ring-entering ceremonies. Such was his popularity that he appeared in at least 25 prints between 1794 and 1798 by popular ukiyo-e artists such as Utamaro.
aiban triptych of Daidà Âzan Bungorà  entering the sumo ring ( ')
Two sets of the triptych are known, one at the MOA Museum of Art and the other in a private collection. The Sumo Museum in Tokyo has another copy of the central print.
One copy is known of the single sheet aiban print of Daidà Âzan Bungorà  entering the sumo ring ( ') and is in the collection of the Hiraki Ukiyo-e Foundation.
The legend at the top of the print reads:
Daidà Âzan Bungorà  quelling a demon ( ')
The print depicts Daidà Âzan standing on the back of a blue oni demon, poised to strike at it with a wooden mallet. The legend at the top gives Daidà Âzan's weight as 21kan, 500monme (about 79kg), and his girth as 3shaku, 9sun (about 121cm)âÂÂmeasurements considerably larger than the year before.
Sharaku produced only two known musha-e warrior prints: one of Soga Gorà  battling Gosho Gorà Âmaru and the other of Taira no Koremichi battling an oni demon at a maple-leaf viewing party. Such prints may have been an attempt by Sharaku to avoid being pigeon-holed as an actor-print designer.
One copy is known of the aiban print of Soga Gorà  and Gosho Gorà Âmaru '); it is in the collection of the Hiraki Ukiyo-e Foundation.
In 1193 the shà Âgun Minamoto no Yoritomo held the Fuji no Makigari, a grand hunting party in the area of Mount Fuji. There, the Jurà  and Gorà  killed Kudà  Suketsune, a retainer of Yoritomo's and the murderer of the soga brothers' father. In the ensuing fighting Jurà  was killed and Gorà  captured by the sumo wrestler Gosho Gorà Âmaru, who served at Yoritomo's palace ( ').
Gorà Âmaru's hair is tied in a topknot, a hairstyle worn by male youths during the Kamakura period.
One copy is known of the aiban print of maple leaf-viewing ( '); it is in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
The print illustrates the , which has had various theatrical and other adaptations. The story tells of the Heian-period warrior , who comes across a respectable woman and her handmaidens holding a maple leaf-viewing party. He joins the party and drinks himself unconscious. When he awakens, the women have revealed themselves as oni demons. The print illustrates a fierce battle between Koremichi and a demon who holds him by the topknot.
One copy is known of the aiban print of Ebisu (), one of the Seven Lucky Gods in Japanese mythology; it is in the collection of the Japan Ukiyo-e Museum.
Since the beginning of the Edo period, merchants in particular worshipped Ebisu as the god of wealth, long life, and happiness. He wears a pointed hat, sits beneath a Shintà  shimenawa rope, and fishes from a waterside boulder. He has abnormally large ears and grins widely, despite his entangled fishing line.
One example is known of the sensu folding hand fan bearing the likeness of ( '); it is in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. The printed fan measures 21.2 ÃÂ 40.8 cm and depicts Otafuku throwing roasted soybeans to ward away oni demons during Setsubun, at the traditional Japanese Lunar New Year.
The sensu folding hand fan of an old man ( ') is a nikuhitsu-ga painting on bamboo paper. To the left is a portrait of an old man, and to the right is a young boy standing on an actor portrait by Utagawa Toyokuni. The fan was in the collection of (1878âÂÂ1963), which now is held by the Sekisui Museum.
The sensu folding hand fan of Matsumoto Kà Âshiro IV as Kakogawa Honzà  and Matsumoto Yonesaburà  as Konami is in the collection of the Museum of Asian Art of Corfu.
The fan measures about 50cm. It was identified and confirmed as a Sharaku work in 2008 and is believed to depict a scene from a May 1795 performance of Kanadehon Chà «shingura. Rather than a print, the fan is a nikuhitsu-ga painting on bamboo paper. It is signed (not stamped) Tà Âshà «sai Sharaku ga ().
Preparing a print involved having the print designer produce an ink drawing, which was then transferred to thin Mino paper. The woodblock carver pasted this tracing, called a hanshita-e (), face-down onto the woodblock. The carver cut around the lines visible through the paper to make the key printing block.
A hanshita-e in a private collection, depicting the sumo wrestlers Tanikaze and Daidà Âzan Bungorà Â.
At the turn of the 19th to 20th centuries, travelled abroad and amassed a collection of ukiyo-e. Amongst the items in his collection were seven hanshita-e sumo drawing signed Sharaku Ga (). These were lost with the rest of Kobayashi's collection in a fire during the 1923 Great Kantà  earthquake. This portrait of Tanikaze and Daidà Âzan is thought to be from the same series.
The whereabouts are unknown of the hanshita-e of Onoe Matsusuke I and Ichikawa Ebizà  I ( ').
The whereabouts are unknown of the hanshita-e of Sansei Sanokawa Ichimatsu III, Sakata Hangorà  III, and Ichikawa Tomizaemon I ( ').
The hanshita-e of Segawa Tomisaburà  II, Ichikawa Omezà  I, Ichikawa Komazà  III ( ') is in a private collection.
A hanshita-e in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, depicts the actors Bandà  Mitsugorà  II, à Âtani Oniji III, and Segawa Kikunojà  III.
A hanshita-e in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, depicting the actors Ichikawa Yaozà  III, Sawamura Sà Âjà «rà  III, and Osagawa Tsuneyo II.
A hanshita-e in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, depicting the actors Arashi Ryà «zà  II and Morita Kan'ya VIII.
A hanshita-e in a private collection depicts Iwai Kiyotarà  I, , and Bandà  Hikosaburà  III ( ').
The Guimet Museum has a hanshita-e depicting Ichikawa Monnosuke II, Matsumoto Kà Âshirà  IV, and Iwai Hanshirà  IV ( ').
The Guimet Museum has a hanshita-e depicting Segawa Yà «jirà  II and Matsumoto Yonesaburà  I ( ').