The actor Onoe Matsusuke I as Matsushita Mikinoshin

The undisputed master of close-up actor portraits was the artist Toshusai Sharaku, whose brief career spanned a ten-month period in 1794 and 1795. Despite his popularity, Sharaku’s true identity is still unknown. This print is one of several by Sharaku featuring moments from a Kabuki play in which two sisters exact revenge on the villain who killed their father, a masterless samurai. Here the artist shows the actor Onoe Matsusuke I in the role of the father, a man impoverished by illness. The unkempt hairstyle, shadow-rimmed eyes, and anxious, hunched-over pose convey his reduced state. Printed with luxurious and shiny mica, the print’s dark background is a feature of many of Sharaku’s finest portraits.