Utagawa Kunimasa

Examples of Utagawa's signature

Woodblock print of kabuki actor Ichikawa Ebizō in a shibaraku role, 1796

Utagawa Kunimasa (歌川 国政, 1773 - December 26, 1810) was a Japanese ukiyo-e printmaker and student of Utagawa Toyokuni. Originally from Aizu in Iwashiro province, he first worked in a dye shop upon arriving in Edo (now Tokyo). It was there that he was noticed by Toyokuni, to whom he became apprenticed.

Kunimasa is especially known for his yakusha-e prints (portraits of kabuki actors) and for his bijinga pictures of beautiful women). His style is said to strive to "combine the intensity of Sharaku with the decorative pageantry of his master Toyokuni" . However, those who make the comparison often say he failed to achieve the level of Sharaku's intensity.

References

• Lane, Richard. (1978). Images from the Floating World, The Japanese Print. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 10-ISBN 0192114476/13-ISBN 9780192114471; OCLC 5246796
• Morse, Anne Nishimura (1985). "Utagawa Kunimasa." Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan. Tokyo: Kodansha Ltd.

External links

• British Museum: Utagawa Kunimasa, The actor Ichikawa Ebizō in a shibaraku role, a colour woodblock print
• Art site