Ōkubi-e is the Japanese term for an ukiyo-e close-up portrait showing a person’s head and upper body.
The word means “large-head picture.” Artists enlarged the sitter within the composition instead of showing the full body or a broad scene. This format directed attention toward facial expression, hairstyle, costume, and the distinctive features of the subject.
Ōkubi-e became important for both actor portraits and images of beautiful women. Kitagawa Utamaro used the format extensively for bijin-ga, while Tōshūsai Sharaku became famous for forceful actor portraits. Enlarging the face could reveal individuality, theatrical expression, or deliberate exaggeration.
The format was not simply a larger version of every portrait. It formed part of a broader shift toward recognizable celebrity imagery in late eighteenth-century Edo. Ōkubi-e should be distinguished from a full-length figure print and from the physical paper formats used to classify ukiyo-e sheets.