Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861) Japanese, Woodblock Print "Ogura Imitation of the Hundred Poems." First published c. 1847. This is Poem 88: The high steward to the retired empress Koka.
Condition: Commensurate with age.
Overall: 20 1/2 x 16 1/4 in.
Sight: 13 x 9 in.
#5043 #3j .
Utagawa Kuniyoshi was born on January 1st, 1798, the son of a silk-dyer named Yanagiya Kichiyemon. Originally named Yoshisaburō, he assisted his father from early childhood as a pattern designer, and some have suggested that this experience influenced his rich use of color and textile patterns in prints. Kuniyoshi was particularly drawn to ukiyo-e warrior prints, and pictures of artisans and commoners as found in craftsmen manuals. Yoshisaburō’s drawing talents attracted the attention of the famous ukiyo-e print master Utagawa Toyokuni, who took him on as an apprentice when he was twelve. He remained an apprentice until 1814, at which time he was given the name “Kuniyoshi” and set out as an independent artist. That same year he produced his first published work, the illustrations for the kusazōshi gōkan Gobuji Chūshingura, a parody of the original Chūshingura story. Despite putting out a few more works over the next three years, he went through a creative drought until the late 1820s, likely due to a lack of commissions and competition with other artists of the Utagawa school. He turned to creating bijin-ga (beautiful women) pictures, mainly for his own amusement, and experimented heavily with light-and-shadow effects after being exposed to Western art. While selling used tatami mats to survive, he had a chance encounter with Kunisada, a fellow pupil of Utagawa, who collaborated with him on a number of ukiyo-e series, and who inspired him to develop his own individual style. He began creating heroic triptychs, which he eventually became synonymous with. In 1827 he received his first major commission, “Tsūzoku Suikoden gōketsu hyakuhachinin no hitori” (“One hundred and eight heroes of the popular Suikoden all told”), based on the incredibly popular Chinese tale “Shuihu Zhuan.” Kuniyoshi illustrated individual heroes on single sheets in locations that fit together like puzzles when put next to each other, and frequently drew tattoos on his heroes, a novelty which influenced Edo fashion. He became one of the last great masters of ukiyo-e woodblock prints and painting, with a range of subjects including landscapes, Kabuki actors, cats, and mythical animals, with particular focus on highly detailed battle scenes that incorporated aspects of Western representation. The Tenpō Reforms of 1841 to 1843 aimed to alleviate Japan’s ongoing economic crisis by controlling public displays of luxury and wealth, and the illustration of courtesans and actors in ukiyō-e was officially banned at that time. Ironically these repressive limitations became a kind of artistic challenge which actually encouraged Kuniyoshi’s resourcefulness, turning to caricature and allegory to create barely veiled criticism of the shogunate. His exaggerated and more cartoonish style had long-lasting repercussions, even being a pivotal influence on early manga. In 1856 Kuniyoshi began to have difficulty moving his limbs, and his work became noticeably less detailed. In 1860 he witnessed the opening of the port city of Yokohama to foreigners, and was one of the first Japanese artists to produce work depicting Westerners. He is also acknowledged as one of the most excellent teachers of the Utagawa school, and had numerous pupils who continued his style, including Yoshitoshi, Yoshitora, Yoshiiku, Yoshikazu, Yoshitsuya, and Yoshifuji. He died in April 1861 in his home in Genyadana.
Condition
Commensurate with age.
