Shini-e
Shini-e
Japanese woodblock prints
Shini-e (死絵, "Memorial prints"), also called "death pictures" or "death portraits", are Japanese woodblock prints,[1] particularly those done in the ukiyo-e style popular through the Edo period (1603–1867) and into the beginnings of the 20th century.
When a kabuki actor died, memorial portraits shini-e were conventionally published with his farewell poem and posthumous name.[2]
Memorial portraits were created by ukiyo-e artists to honor a colleague or former teacher who had died.