Jump to main content
/

Utagawa Kunisada(The third Toyokuni)

An ukiyo-e artist representing the end of the Edo period. He produced the largest number of ukiyo-e paintings among all ukiyoe artists.

 Utagawa kunisada (1786-1865) was an ukiyo-e artist active from the late Edo period to the end of the Edo period. Born in Edo, his surname was Sumita, nickname was Shouzou (庄蔵), and he later changed the spelling (kanji) of his nickname to 肖蔵. Kunisada was a disciple of the first Utagawa Toyokuni who paved the way for the Utagawa school’s prosperity. Although Kunisada assumed the name of the second Toyokuni in the first year of the Kouka era (1844), today he is counted as the third generation, because Toyoshige had already assumed the Second Toyokuni. He gained immense popularity with his yakusha-e and bijin-ga (actor and beautiful woman paintings), and led the ukiyo-e world at the end of the Edo period as the master of Utagawa school. His signatures included Gototei, Kouchourou, Ichiyousai, and Kiyou, and he is said to have produced the largest number of works among all ukiyo-e painters in his more than 50 years as a painter.

   Furthermore, Kunisada was active as a leading illustrator of full length illustrated novels, called Goukan (bound volumes) which were very popular among the masses in the late Edo period. He produced numerous works with popular novelists, including Shikitei Sanba, Santou Kyouden, Ryutei Tanehiko, and Kyokutei Bakin. Among those works, Nisemurasaki inakagenji (The False Murasaki and the Rustic Genji) written by Ryutei Tanehiko and illustrated by Utagawa Kunisada, was an adaptation of Genji-monogatari (The Tale of Genji from the middle of the Heian period), updated adaption for the Muromachi period (1336-1573), Kunisada’s beautiful illustrations were also well received, and the books took the country by storm.  Over 13 years, 38 editions of 152 books were published, all becoming unprecedented bestsellers representing the end of the Edo period. Many derivative works of ukiyo-e called Genji-e depicting the scenes and main characters of the books were produced.


Related People, Things and Events

Books

Related Works

Beautiful-woman paintings

Actor paintings

Paintings of the Tale of Genji

Other works

Past Exhibitions

TitleshusaiPlaceopenclose

Institutions and External Links

  • 千葉県千葉市にある美術館。江戸時代の錦絵を多く所蔵し、鳥居清長の作品も多い。収蔵品検索システムからは、千葉市美術館が所蔵している鳥居清長の作品の画像や情報を閲覧できる。

  • 東京都渋谷区の浮世絵専門美術館。浮世絵の歴史を網羅的に辿れる約15,000点のコレクションを所蔵。月ごとにさまざまなテーマの展覧会が開催され、テーマに沿った浮世絵作品を展示している。歌川国貞の作品を所蔵。

  • 国立図書館のコレクションから、江戸の名所を描いた錦絵484点を掲載。歌川国貞の名所絵を閲覧可能。

References

  1. 日立デジタル平凡社,平凡社
  2. 日本浮世絵協会原色浮世絵大百科事典編集委員会 編,大修館書店
  3. 歌川国貞 [画],静嘉堂文庫 編,静嘉堂文庫