Toshusai Sharaku
(1794 - 1795)
Toshusai Sharaku was a printmaking artist.
From ArtValue.ca records, the highest price paid at auction for a print work attributed to Toshusai Sharaku (1794-1795) was C$118 - paid for "The Actor Segawa Kikunojo III as Oshizu, from the Play Hana-Ayame Bunkoroku Soga" at Saskatchewan NAC in Regina on Sun, Sep 22, 2024.
ArtValue.ca has 2 auction art sale records for their print results, with prices in the range of C$100 to C$250.
ArtValue.ca has 2 auction art sale records for their print results, with prices in the range of C$100 to C$250.
Notable Art Works
Toshusai Sharaku is the mysterious artist of ukiyo-e Japanese woodblock prints. He created woodblock prints for only one year, 1794-1995) and his real name remains unknown. But his work is now considered among the very best ukiyo-e prints ever made. He is known for his portraits of kabuki actors, but at the time his style (dynamic, sometimes unflattering, not idealized beauty) was met with disapproval and he stopped creating woodblock prints. Experts speculate that he was a Noh actor, or a poet, or even the master Hokusai creating yakusha-e (actor prints) under a pseudonym.