Ichikawa Omezō I in the Role of Yakko Ippei from the Play "Koinyōbō somewake tazuna"
Tōshūsai Sharaku Japanese
Not on view
Focusing on bust portraits, Sharaku created bold and stylized depictions of Kabuki actors. In this portrait Ichikawa Omezō I (1781–1833), a disciple of Danjūro V, plays a warrior named Yakko Ippei who was unsuccessful in his attempt to defeat his enemy. On his robe the character for "O" in Omezō appears at the center of the Ichikawa family crest of three nested squares.