The mysterious ukiyo-e artist known for actor portraits published around 1794–1795 was Tōshūsai Sharaku.
Sharaku produced a concentrated group of kabuki actor prints, many published by Tsutaya Jūzaburō. His portraits are notable for exaggerated expressions, strong physiognomic details, and an unsparing treatment of theatrical personalities. Rather than presenting every actor as conventionally handsome, Sharaku emphasized distinctive faces and dramatic performance states.
The artist’s identity remains uncertain because the name Tōshūsai Sharaku appears only during this brief publishing period, after which the works stop. Various candidates have been proposed, but no identification has achieved universal acceptance. Sharaku’s short career is different from the much longer careers of Utamaro, Hokusai, and Hiroshige. His prints are now among the most studied examples of yakusha-e, the broader category of actor pictures.