An is a Japanese

portrait A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face is always predominant. In arts, a portrait may be represented as half body and even full body. If the subject in full body better r ...

print or

painting Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

in the

ukiyo-e is a genre of Japanese art that flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. Its artists produced woodblock printing, woodblock prints and Nikuhitsu-ga, paintings of such subjects as female beauties; kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers; scenes ...

genre showing only the head or the head and upper torso. Katsukawa Shunkō I (1743–1812) is generally credited with producing the first ōkubi-e. He, along with

Katsukawa Shunshō Shunshō Katsukawa (; 1726 – 19 January 1793) was a Japanese painter and printmaker in the ''ukiyo-e'' style, and the leading artist of the Katsukawa school. Shunshō studied under Miyagawa Shunsui, son and student of Miyagawa Chōshun, bo ...

, designed ōkubi-e of male

kabuki is a classical form of Theatre of Japan, Japanese theatre, mixing dramatic performance with Japanese traditional dance, traditional dance. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily stylised performances, its glamorous, highly decorated costumes ...

actors. In the early-1790s,

Utamaro was a Japanese artist. He is one of the most highly regarded designers of ukiyo-e woodblock prints and paintings, and is best known for his ''Bijin-ga, bijin ōkubi-e'' "large-headed pictures of beautiful women" of the 1790s. He also produ ...

designed the first ōkubi-e of beautiful women ('' bijin-ga ōkubi-e''). The

shogunate , officially , was the title of the military rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, except during parts of the Kamak ...

authorities banned ōkubi-e in 1800, but the ban was lifted after eight years.

Gallery

Large head portrait (okubi-e) of kabuki actor Matsumoto Kôshirô IV as Tsurunosuke by Katsukawa Shunko I.JPG, Ōkubi-e of

actor Matsumoto Kōshirō IV as Tsurunosuke, a

woodblock print Woodblock printing or block printing is a technique for printing text, images or patterns used widely throughout East Asia and originating in China in antiquity as a method of printing on textiles and later on paper. Each page or image is creat ...

by Katsukawa Shunkō I Kunimasa - taikan, The actor Ichikawa Ebizo in a shibaraku role, 1796.jpg, Woodblock print by Utagawa Kunimasa of kabuki actor Ichikawa Ebizō in a

shibaraku is a play in the Kabuki repertoire, and one of the celebrated '' Kabuki Jūhachiban'' ("Eighteen Great Plays"). The play is noted for its flamboyantly dramatic costumes and makeup (''kumadori'').{{citation needed, date=May 2017 Originally stag ...

role, 1796 Retrato de Ichikawa Yaozo III, Utagawa Kunimasa.jpg, Ichikawa Yaozo III as Umeōmaru, woodblock print by Utagawa Kunimasa, 1796 Toshusai Sharaku- Otani Oniji, 1794.jpg, Nakazō Nakamura II as Edobee, woodblock print by

Sharaku was a Japanese ukiyo-e print designer, known for his portraits of kabuki actors. 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 disapprova ...

, 1794 Kitagawa_Utamaro_ukiyo-e_woodblock_print.jpg, Print by

Kitagawa Utamaro was a Japanese artist. He is one of the most highly regarded designers of ukiyo-e woodblock prints and paintings, and is best known for his ''Bijin-ga, bijin ōkubi-e'' "large-headed pictures of beautiful women" of the 1790s. He also produ ...

Ase o fuku onna2.jpg, ''Woman Wiping Sweat'', woodblock print by

, 1798 'Portrait of Hagiwara Sakutarô', woodblock print by Onchi Kôshirô, 1943, 1st edition, National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo.jpg, ''Portrait of Hagiwara Sakutarō'',

by Onchi Kōshirō, 1943

Gallery

References

Further reading