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Toyokuni Utagawa - Memorial Portrait of Sawamura Sojuro III as Satsuma Gengobei

Memorial Portrait of Sawamura Sojuro III as Satsuma Gengobei (1800)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
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License: All public domain files can be freely used for personal and commercial projects.
Why is this image in the public domain?
The Artist died in 1825 so this work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries where the copyright term is the Artist's life plus 70 years or fewer.
Toyokuni Utagawa

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.

More Artworks by Toyokuni Utagawa (View all 123 Artworks)

Heads of Six Courtesans Peeping through Heavy Wood Lattice Window

Heads of Six Courtesans Peeping through Heavy Wood Lattice Window (late 18th century – early 19th century)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
Jibukiami

Jibukiami (1799)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
Courtesan Standing on a Veranda

Courtesan Standing on a Veranda (early 1790s)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
Ichikawa ebijūrō no sangobei

Ichikawa ebijūrō no sangobei (1818)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
Iwai Shijaku no Miyahime

Iwai Shijaku no Miyahime (1831)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
Man Looking up at Woman on Balcony

Man Looking up at Woman on Balcony (late 18th century – early 19th century)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
Osome hisamatsu chikai no jūshichiya machi

Osome hisamatsu chikai no jūshichiya machi (1788)

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

Seki sanjurō no umeōmaru (1818)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
Fūryū onna shikisanba

Fūryū onna shikisanba (1788)

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

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

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

Yatsushi ide no tamagawa (1798)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
Onoe baikō

Onoe baikō (1825)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
Godaime matsumoto kōshirō

Godaime matsumoto kōshirō (1805)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
Bandō minosuke no rikiya

Bandō minosuke no rikiya (1801)

Toyokuni Utagawa (Japanese, 1769-1825)
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)
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