[2] Although his initial attempts met with failure,[3] Toyokuni achieved commercial success in 1786 with illustrations for the kibyōshi novelette Tsugamonai hanashi no oyadama (無束話親玉).

[4] He soon discovered his niches: bijinga[5] and, more significantly, yakusha-e.[6] Between 1794 and 1796, he created a series of prints entitled Yakusha butai no sugata-e ("Portraits of Actors in Various Roles" - 役者舞台の姿絵), which earned him "rapid recognition,"[7] and "marked the peak of his creative work.

[9] Toyokuni's style is admired for its "powerful and vivid lines,"[10] "striking color contrasts,"[11] "decorative bombast,"[12] and "bold, taut designs.

While Sharaku favoured an exaggerated, stylized approach, Toyokuni's depictions are more realistic,[16] capturing actors "as they appear on stage" and idealizing them.

[19] Toyokuni was highly prolific,[20] and, by 1800, the Utagawa school had supplanted the Katsukawa as the major producers of kabuki-e.[21] His success appears to have come at a price, however, as the consensus is that the quality of his later work "shows a marked decline,"[22] and even "degenerated frequently into sheer grotesquerie.

"[25] An image of two actors posing as characters from a play, this print belongs to the kabuki-e (歌舞伎絵) genre, also known as shibai-e (芝居絵), gekijou-e (劇場絵), gekiga (劇画).

The standing figure is in typical pilgrim or travelling priest garb: waraji, a grey robe, and light-coloured leggings and arm covers.

Records of Edo period kabuki reveal that early in 1798 Yaozō and Omezō appeared together in the play "Tomioka koi no yamabiraki" (also known as "Ninin Shimbei").

[40] Both the name cartouche in the upper left-hand corner and the kaemon (替紋) personal crest appearing on the kimono arms of the crouching figure in the foreground identify him as Ichikawa Yaozō III (市川八百蔵) (1747–1818).

[47] According to the name cartouche, the standing figure is Ichikawa Omezō I (市川男女蔵) (1781-1833), the first actor in a line of 6 generations continuing to the present day.