Shini-e or Memorial Portraits are generally somber colored standardized depictions of a recently deceased kabuki actor, although a few shini-e were issued for non-actors associated with artistic circles.  They were largely a 19th century phenomenon that disappeared after the deaths of the stars Ichikawa Danjūrō IX and Onoe Kikugorō V (see the print The actor Onoe Kikugorō V, Memorial Print) in 1903 and Ichikawa Sadanji in 1904.  Most shini-e are single sheet prints, although diptychs and triptychs do exist.

A complete text for a typical shini-e contains the professional stage name of the deceased; his posthumous name (already selected during his life-time), date of and age at death, burial place and a death poem (jisei) by the deceased or memorial poem written by fan, friend or family member.  

The deceased actor is generally shown in a death robe (kamishimo), in either a seated or full-length standing posture.  Prayer beads, an incense burner, a spring of Japanese anise or a scroll containing a sutra are often present, along with other symbols relating to death and the afterlife.

Publishers rushed to release these prints as soon as a death was either announced or rumored, as there was an eager audience of fans, family and friends awaiting them.  For extremely popular artists such as Ichikawa Danjūrō VIII, over 100 memorial prints have been identified.

市川 団十郎 (5 October 1823 ~ 8 August 1854) 
Source: Kabuki 21 website http://www.kabuki21.com/danjuro8.php
Stage names: Ichikawa Danjūrō VIII, Ichikawa Ebizō VI, Ichikawa Shinnosuke II
Other name: Ichikawa Hakuen (III)
Connection: Great-great-great-great-grandfather: Ichikawa Danjūrō I, Great-great-great-grandfather: Ichikawa Ebizô II (Danjūrō II), Great-great-grandfather: Ichikawa Ebizō III (Danjūrō IV), Great-Grandfather: Ichikawa Hakuen I (Danjūrō V)
Father: Ichikawa Danjūrō VII
Brothers: Ichikawa Danjūrō IX, Ichikawa Ebizō VII, Ichikawa Ebizō VIII, Ichikawa Komazō VI, Ichikawa Enzō I, Ichikawa Kūzō

"Like his father, Ichikawa Danjūrō VIII excelled in the aragoto ('rough-stuff') roles for which the Ichikawa lineage was famous. But as well as audacious young heroes, he was also extremely successful in the various roles of young lover (nimaime). Together with his good looks, this made him especially popular with female fans. When he played Sukeroku, in which he had to immerse himself in a barrel of water, the water was subsequently sold at exorbitant cost to avid admirers. Even when he had to appear as Yosaburō with a scarred face, pastry shops sold beanpaste buns with cracked outer skins called 'Yosaburō buns, which were devoured by the actor's fans. Despite his success, or even because of it, he was plagued by personal problems, perhaps exacerbated by his early achievements and the jealousy this caused among older actors. In 1854 [August 8], during a tour of performances in Osaka with his father, he was found in his inn with his wrists slashed. He was suffering from massive debts, caused by his lifestyle, which emulated the excesses of his father." (from the The Fitzwilliam Museum Website).