In approximately ten months from May 1, 1794 to February 1, 1795, a mysterious ukiyo-e artist known only as Toshusai Sharaku produced the body of 140 expressive works, including twenty-eight incredibly forceful portraits of the actors of the day in their kabuki or kyogen roles. His identity has never been verified and no other work was produced in this bold, expressionistic style with its unusual realism. Not popular with the public for very long, the work was relatively unknown until 1910, when Julius Kurth, a German scholar, brought it to the attention of Europeans, leading to its revaluation in Japan.

Organized in cooperation with the Consulate General of Japan in Edmonton and the Japan Foundation, this premiere presentation of art by Sharaku in Canada, offers a quick examination of twenty - eight portraits of kabuki actors created - between May 1, 1794 and February 1, 1795 by Toshusai Sharaku and beautifully reproduced - from the original woodblocks - by the Adachi Institute of Woodcut Prints. In two adjunct segments, the leading contemporary Japanese graphic artists and designers pay homage to Sharaku in posters that underline the formalistic links between the ukiyo-e tradition and the development of the graphic art in Japan, while other artists respond in a personal way to the influence of Sharaku, through the use of painting, sculpture, ceramics and installation work.