The Japanese term for an ukiyo-e print depicting a kabuki actor is yakusha-e.
Yakusha-e means “actor pictures.” These prints turned kabuki performers into widely recognized public celebrities and often showed them in costume, makeup, and a characteristic mie pose. The images could identify an actor, a role, a play, or a particular moment in a performance.
Actor prints were a major commercial branch of ukiyo-e because theatre fans wanted affordable portraits and publishers could release designs during successful runs. Artists such as Tōshūsai Sharaku, Utagawa Toyokuni, and Katsukawa Shunshō made important contributions to the subject.
Yakusha-e is broader than the close-up portrait format known as ōkubi-e. An actor print may show the head and upper body, a full figure, or a theatrical scene. It is also different from bijin-ga, which focuses on beautiful women, and musha-e, which depicts warriors and heroic figures.