Which artist is credited with producing the first ōkubi-e?

Katsukawa Shunkō I is generally credited with producing the first ōkubi-e, or large-head actor portrait.

Shunkō was an Edo-period ukiyo-e artist and a student of Katsukawa Shunshō. Beginning around 1771, he designed prints of kabuki actors, and in 1788 he began producing bust-length portraits that enlarged the actor’s head and upper body. This format gave artists more room to emphasize facial expression, makeup, hairstyle, and the distinctive pose associated with a role.

The ōkubi-e format became particularly influential in the 1790s. Shunkō and Shunshō focused on male kabuki actors, while Kitagawa Utamaro later developed celebrated ōkubi-e of beautiful women, known as bijin-ga, in the early 1790s.

A common mix-up is to credit Tōshūsai Sharaku because his 1794 actor portraits are among the best-known examples of the style. Sharaku helped make the format famous, but he came later. Shunkō’s contribution belongs to the earlier development of the large-head portrait tradition.