The World of Utamaro and Sharaku Spun by the Sei'ichiro Takahashi Ukiyo-e Collection

2025/06/09

Did you know that Keio University houses as many as 1,500 masterpieces of ukiyo-e? This collection, known as the "Sei'ichiro Takahashi Ukiyo-e Collection," was donated by Sei'ichiro Takahashi (1884–1982), an economist known for his research on mercantilist economics and a former student of Yukichi Fukuzawa. After the war, Takahashi served as the (Acting) President of Keio University, Minister of Education, and Director General of the Tokyo National Museum, and dedicated himself to the development of Japanese culture. He was also an outstanding ukiyo-e collector, beginning his collection in earnest during the late Taisho period. His systematic collection is so comprehensive that it provides a complete overview of the history of ukiyo-e.

Starting June 3, 2025, the exhibition "Dreaming Utamaro, Mysterious Sharaku? Sensations of Edo" will be held at the Keio Museum Commons (KeMCo). This is the second ukiyo-e exhibition at KeMCo, following the popular 2023 exhibition "Hokusai is Awesome! Kuniyoshi is Cool!!" This time, from the vast Takahashi Collection, the focus will be on two representative artists of the late Edo period: Kitagawa Utamaro (1753?–1806) and Tōshūsai Sharaku (1763–1820).

Utamaro became an independent ukiyo-e artist after studying under the Kanō school artist Toriyama Sekien (1712–88). During the Kansei era, he gained popularity for his "bijin ōkubi-e" (large-head pictures of beautiful women, shown on the left), which boldly depicted the upper bodies of women. Although Utamaro depicted feminine beauty with a delicate and observant eye, in his later years, his prints based on the Taikōki (Chronicle of the Taikō) violated the Shogunate's prohibitions, and he passed away shortly thereafter.

On the other hand, Sharaku was a mysterious artist who suddenly appeared in Kansei 6 (1794), and his true identity is believed to be Saitō Jūrōbei, a Noh actor of the Awa clan. The "yakusha ōkubi-e" (large-head pictures of actors, shown on the right) published by Tsutaya Jūzaburō (1750–97) of the publishing house Kōshodō, sharply depicted the individuality of Kabuki actors with exaggerated expressions, which was extremely innovative for the time. However, it was not accepted by the common people of Edo, who preferred beautified images of actors, and Sharaku's career ended after only ten months. He disappeared after leaving behind more than 140 works, but his artistry was later highly evaluated in Europe.

The person who introduced the talents of these two to the world was Tsutaya. In addition to materials such as the "Yoshiwara Saiken" (Guide to the Yoshiwara) published by him, this exhibition will also display works by the two rival artists. We hope you will enjoy these masterpieces from the exceptionally well-preserved Sei'ichiro Takahashi Collection at the venue. (Momoka Komatsu, Curator, Keio Museum Commons)