Kunisada began his apprenticeship around 1800 under the master Toyokuni (1769 - 1825) and became one of his chief pupils. the Utagawa school specialized in actor prints. Kunisada is also known as Toyokuni III. During his life, he has had a few…
Hiroshige is known as the "artist of rain, snow, and mist." Born as Ando Tokutaro, he was to follow the career of his father as a fire watchman. In 1811, he was a pupil of Toyohiro. in 1812, he officially became accepted into the Utagawa school.…
Prince Genji and three beauties under a blossoming cherry trees on a river bank at night looking at fish in a tub, with cormorant fishermen in their boats with torches (to attract the fish) in the background. This refers to Chapter 27 (Kagaribi) of…
This woodblock print depicts serene figures applied in the half length portrait style on (okubi-e), this style was developed by Utamaro in 1791. It focuses attention to facial expression and demeanor to disclose more perfectly the inner beauty and…
Kuniyoshi was a son of a silk dyer. He helped his father with designing for the business. His original studies were with Kuninao (1793-1854) but Toyokuni (1769-1825) came across his work. He was admitted to Toyokuni’s school in 1811. When he set out…
The kabuki actor Ichikawa Danjuro VIII in red makeup as Matsugae Sekinosuke holding a knife in front of a lakeside samurai pavilion. Poem inscribed above.