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Toyokuni Utagawa
Toyokuni Utagawa

Toyokuni Utagawa

Japanese, 1769-1825
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Utagawa Toyokuni, also often referred to as Toyokuni I, to distinguish him from the members of his school who took over his gō (art-name) after he died, was a great master of ukiyo-e, known in particular for his kabuki actor prints. He was the second head of the renowned Utagawa school of Japanese woodblock artists, and was the artist who really moved it to the position of great fame and power it occupied for the rest of the nineteenth century.

He was born in Edo, the son of Kurahashi Gorobei, a carver of dolls and puppets, including replicas of kabuki actors. At around 14, Toyokuni was apprenticed to the first head of the Utagawa house, Utagawa Toyoharu, whom his father knew well and who lived nearby. One of his fellow pupils under Toyoharu was Toyohiro, whose pupil was the great landscape artist Hiroshige. In recognition of his artistic ability, Toyokuni later took the name Utagawa Toyokuni, following the common practice of using one syllable of his master's name.

Toyokuni seems not to have been an "intuitive genius" determined to forge a new path; rather, he seems to have studied intently those who came before him, particularly Utamaro, Chōbunsai Eishi and Eishōsai Chōki. and through a great deal of hard work produced first a mastery, and then a synthesis of their styles, to create a style of his own.

He was known mostly for his prints related to the kabuki theatre, in particular his yakusha-e actor portraits, a field which he took to new heights. He also, however, produced other genres such as musha-e warrior prints, shunga erotica, and most notably bijin-ga.

In his actor prints, like Sharaku, one sees the real subject; but his prints merely portrayed what he saw, unlike Sharaku who exaggerated those aspects he saw as the most key. It is said of Toyokuni's prints that they recreate exactly what one would see on stage; they show actors acting, not merely just pictures of actors. Together, these characteristics made Toyokuni's prints far more popular among theatre-goers than Sharaku's, although history has come to judge Sharaku the keener observer and greater artist.

His popularity and prolific output may in part have been his undoing, though. From 1803 through 1817, his work became more static, even as it became more popular. He continued to produce large quantities of prints, but the quality as a rule did not match that of his earlier days. Occasional prints from this period, however, show his old brilliance.

He died in Edo in 1825 aged 57, surrounded by many of his pupils.

123 items

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Seki sanjūrō no izumi no saburō

Seki sanjūrō no izumi no saburō (1818)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
Asian Art
Seki sanjūrō no ukai kujūrō

Seki sanjūrō no ukai kujūrō (1818)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
Asian Art
Seki sanjurō no umeōmaru

Seki sanjurō no umeōmaru (1818)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
Asian Art
Singing Lesson

Singing Lesson (late 18th century – early 19th century)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
Asian Art
Snow Print; Woman with Umbrella

Snow Print; Woman with Umbrella (late 18th century – early 19th century)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
Asian Art
Snow Scene; Two Women with Umbrellas and Bags

Snow Scene; Two Women with Umbrellas and Bags (late 18th century – early 19th century)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
Asian Art
Stage Scene; Four Actors

Stage Scene; Four Actors (late 18th century – early 19th century)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
Asian Art
Tachibanaya ōmiya

Tachibanaya ōmiya (1794)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
Asian Art
The Actor Danjuro

The Actor Danjuro (ca. 1800)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
Asian Art
Three Figures, One with Animal Head Dress

Three Figures, One with Animal Head Dress (late 18th century – early 19th century)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
Asian Art
Three Women and Two Children by the Water (ships in background)

Three Women and Two Children by the Water (ships in background) (late 18th century – early 19th century)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
Asian Art
Two Women Talking to Servant

Two Women Talking to Servant (late 18th century – early 19th century)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
Asian Art
Two Women, One on Floor Holding Letter

Two Women, One on Floor Holding Letter (late 18th century – early 19th century)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
Asian Art
Ukie Kinryūzan ichi no zu

Ukie Kinryūzan ichi no zu (1791)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
Asian Art
Ukie kinryūzan ichi no zu

Ukie kinryūzan ichi no zu (1792)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
Asian Art
Warrior on Horse Wading River

Warrior on Horse Wading River (late 18th century – early 19th century)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
Asian Art
Woman and Child Playing with Monkey

Woman and Child Playing with Monkey (late 18th century – early 19th century)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
Asian Art
Woman Holding Bowl and Tray before Window (cherry trees blooming outside)

Woman Holding Bowl and Tray before Window (cherry trees blooming outside) (late 18th century – early 19th century)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
Asian Art
Woman in Elaborate Flowered Kimono, Reading Letter

Woman in Elaborate Flowered Kimono, Reading Letter (late 18th century – early 19th century)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
Asian Art
Woman in Gray Robe, Hair Down

Woman in Gray Robe, Hair Down (late 18th century – early 19th century)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
Asian Art
Woman in kimono of blue shaded as a background for elaborate embroidery of pink peonies

Woman in kimono of blue shaded as a background for elaborate embroidery of pink peonies (late 18th century – early 19th century)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
Asian Art
Woman Running on Seashore, Octopus

Woman Running on Seashore, Octopus (late 18th century – early 19th century)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
Asian Art
Woman with Black Wrap against Grey Fence [cherry trees in bloom in background]

Woman with Black Wrap against Grey Fence [cherry trees in bloom in background] (late 18th century – early 19th century)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
Asian Art
Woman with Court Costume with Elaborate Head Dress

Woman with Court Costume with Elaborate Head Dress (late 18th century – early 19th century)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
Asian Art
Women at Tea on Wharf

Women at Tea on Wharf (late 18th century – early 19th century)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
Asian Art
Women Fishing with Nets

Women Fishing with Nets (late 18th century – early 19th century)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
Asian Art
Women in Lavender Kimonos, Man in Black, Fan and Swords

Women in Lavender Kimonos, Man in Black, Fan and Swords (late 18th century – early 19th century)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
Asian Art
Women on Wharf Watching Fish

Women on Wharf Watching Fish (late 18th century – early 19th century)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
Asian Art
Yamatoya

Yamatoya (1794)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
Asian Art
Yatsushi ide no tamagawa

Yatsushi ide no tamagawa (1798)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
Asian Art
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