toshusai
sharaku
The Enigmatic Flash of Tōshūsai Sharaku Tōshūsai Sharaku remains one of the most captivating and elusive figures in the history of ukiyo-e, the “pictures of the floating world” that flourished during Japan’s Edo period. Active for a mere ten months – from roughly May 1794 …
A portrait built from toshusai sharaku's own colours
Every 85 approved work contributes its dominant tone to a single flowing field. Sorted along the hue wheel, the strip reads as a smooth spectrum. Click any band to reveal its full four-colour palette.
Bands follow the hue wheel; visually identical tones are merged.
Every painting, placed on the hue wheel
Each dot is a work — its angle set by hue, its distance from the centre by saturation. Hover a dot to see the painting.
The signature, in numbers
Where the colour came from
Up to 24 paintings representing the most frequent palette tones — each shown with its dominant colours.