Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Utagawa Kuniyoshi (Japanese: 歌川 國芳, [ɯtaɡaɰa kɯɲijoɕi]; January 1, 1798^[1] – April 14, 1861) also called Kuniyoshi, was a Japanese artist. He was a masters of the ukiyo-e style of woodblock prints and painting.^[2]

In this Japanese name, the family name is Utagawa.

Career

Kuniyoshi was part of the Utagawa school of artists.^[3]

The range of Kuniyoshi's subjects included landscapes, beautiful women, Kabuki actors, cats, and mythical animals. He is known images of the battles of samurai and legendary heroes.^[4] His work was affected by Western art and caricature.^[2]

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi was one of his students.

His work influenced Toyohara Chikanobu.^[5]

Takashi Murakami credits the influence of Kuniyoshi in his work.^[4]

List of print series

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• Illustrated Abridged Biography of the Founder (c. 1831)
• Famous Views of the Eastern Capital (c. 1834)
• Heroes of Our Country's Suikoden (c. 1836)
• Stories of Wise and Virtuous Women (c. 1841-1842)
• Fifty-Three Parallels for the Tōkaidō (1843–1845)
• Twenty-Four Paragons of Filial Piety (1843–1846)
• Mirror of the Twenty-Four Paragons of Filial Piety (1844–1846)
• Six Crystal Rivers (1847–1848)
• Fidelity in Revenge (c. 1848)
• Twenty-Four Chinese Paragons of Filial Piety (c. 1848)
• Sixty-Nine Stations along the Kisokaido (1852)
• Portraits of Samurai of True Loyalty (1852)
• 24 Generals of the Kai Provence (1853)

Gallery

Multi-panel impressions, tryptichs

• 
  Takiyasha the Witch and the Skeleton Spectre
• 
  Kajiwara Kagesue, Sasaki Takatsuna, and Hatakeyama Shigetada racing to cross the Uji River before the second battle of Uji during the Genpei War^[6]

Yoko-e, a print in horizontal or "landscape" format

• 
  At the shore of the Sumida River
• 
  Mt fuji from Sumida
• 
  Pilgrims in the waterfall

Single panel format

• 
  Banners for boys' day festival
• 
  Courtesan in training
• 
  from the series Heroes of Our Country's Suikoden
• 
  from the series Heroes of Our Country's Suikoden
• 
  Hanagami Danjo no jo Arakage fighting a giant salamander
• 
  Miyamoto Musashi^[7] killing a giant shark
• 
  Hatsuhana doing penance under the Tonosawa waterfall
• 
  Keyamura Rokusuke under the Hikosan Gongen waterfall
• 
  Kakinomoto no Hitomaro^[8]

Themes

Kuniyoshi made many images of cats.

Cats forming the characters for catfish Four cats in different poses

Cats suggested as The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō

.

Kuniyoshi made images which were caricatures.

• 
  Scribbling on the storehouse wall
• 
  At first glance he looks very fierce, but he is actually a kind person