Momoka Komatsu: Two Ukiyo-e Artists Produced by Tsutaya Juzaburo—Utamaro and Sharaku

2025/07/09

Image: Photographed by Katsura Muramatsu (karoworks)

In 2025, influenced by the NHK Taiga drama "Berabou," ukiyo-e exhibitions are being held one after another at museums across Japan. Keio Museum Commons (KeMCo) is also hosting an exhibition focusing on the two great masters of ukiyo-e, Kitagawa Utamaro (1753?–1806) and Toshusai Sharaku, titled "Dreaming! Utamaro, Mysterious? Sharaku—Sensations of Edo" from Tuesday, June 3 to Wednesday, August 6. The second half of the exhibition begins on Monday, July 7, and since most of the exhibited works will be replaced, it offers new discoveries for both returning and first-time visitors. While this exhibition focuses on the two ukiyo-e artists Utamaro and Sharaku, the existence of the publisher Tsutaya Juzaburo (1750–97), who introduced them to the world, holds an important key.

Tsutaya Juzaburo opened a bookstore near the Yoshiwara Daimon gate and began his publishing activities by releasing a guidebook for the Yoshiwara pleasure district called "Yoshiwara Saiken." In this exhibition, four volumes of "Saiken" from the Kiyoshi Shibui Collection of the Mita Media Center (Keio University Library) are on display. During the Tenmei era, kyoka (comic poetry) became popular among the common people of Edo, and riding that wave, Tsutaya published kyoka picture books. The young Utamaro was responsible for the illustrations. The shells drawn with delicate brushwork in "The Gifts of the Ebb Tide" (1789) are a fine example showing the early signs of Utamaro's observational eye, which would later lead to his bijinga (pictures of beautiful women).

Although Tsutaya had achieved success in the publishing industry, he was hit hard by the Kansei Reforms led by Matsudaira Sadanobu. It is said that Tsutaya's books were banned, and a significant portion of his assets was confiscated as a heavy fine. As book publishing became difficult due to the tightening of public morals, Tsutaya found a way forward in ukiyo-e.

Having recognized Utamaro's talent through kyoka picture books, Tsutaya began publishing "bijin okubi-e" (large-head pictures of beautiful women), which depicted half-length portraits of women. These works, which captured even the subtle nuances of women's emotions, were enthusiastically received by the common people of Edo. However, due to their popularity, they became subject to regulation by the Shogunate, and it was forbidden to include the models' names in the works. Despite various efforts such as hinting at names through rebus puzzles (hanji-e), the publication of okubi-e itself was eventually banned.

Shortly thereafter, Tsutaya himself passed away, but Utamaro did not lose his passion for creating bijinga. He focused on the Confucian values emphasized by the Shogunate and released a new series of works. In "The Parents' Moralizing Spectacles: The So-called Good-for-nothing" (Fig. 1), the work features inscriptions admonishing a daughter's character from a parent's perspective, alongside the lively expressions of the daughters who seem to be rebelling against it. In his later years, he found the culmination of his career in mother-and-child portraits themed around the affection between mother and child, which resonated with Confucian filial piety. However, he was punished for publishing a work based on the forbidden "Taikoki" (Chronicle of the Taiko) and passed away shortly after.

Meanwhile, in 1794, while Utamaro was gaining popularity with his bijinga, Toshusai Sharaku appeared like a comet. Tsutaya, who marketed Sharaku extensively, applied the expressive techniques established in Utamaro's bijin okubi-e to Sharaku's yakusha-e (actor prints). He created powerful works by making half-length portraits of Kabuki actors stand out against mica backgrounds. For example, in "Matsumoto Yonesaburo as Shinobu, actually the daughter of Matsushita Mikinoshin" (Fig. 2), he depicted the onnagata (male actor in a female role) actor's large nose, small eyes, and disheveled hair without any flattery. Sharaku's innovative ukiyo-e became a topic of conversation, but his exaggerated depictions gradually lost their appeal, and he disappeared after only ten months.

Sharaku's identity remained a mystery for a long time, but recent research has revealed that he was Saito Jurobei (1763–1820), a Noh actor employed by the Awa Clan. From his position as a Noh actor, he may have cast a cynical gaze upon Kabuki.

In addition to the works of Utamaro and Sharaku introduced to the world by Tsutaya's keen eye, this exhibition also features masterpieces by contemporary artists. As admission to our museum is free, we hope many people will feel free to visit and that it will contribute to their artistic experience.