This piece for large wind ensemble was commissioned by the Otsu Symphonic Band as their free selection for the 2003 All-Japan Band Competition.
The musical inspiration stems from the enigmatic ukiyo-e artist Toshusai Sharaku who suddenly emerged during the Kansei era of the Edo period, left behind over 140 works in just ten months, and then disappeared without a trace. The piece expresses the world of Sharaku's ukiyo-e prints, the kabuki theater scenes that served as their backdrop, and the mysterious persona of Sharaku himself, all within the soundscape of wind music. Incidentally, 2003 also marked the 400th anniversary of the birth of kabuki.
The composition is structured into four major sections, each inspired by different Sharaku Ukiyo-e prints and the impressions they evoke.

(Shin'ya Takahashi)