Biography

Ukiyo-e artist. Disciple of Sekien Toriyama. He copied Western copperplate prints to acquire Western painting techniques, and then depicted a great number of uki-e (perspective prints) that utilized the one-point perspective. Via referencing such subjects as famous places, foreign landscapes, interiors, and historical tales, he refined and developed the genre of perspective prints through utilizing more accurate perspective expressions. This established the foundation for artists such as Hokusai Katsushika and Hiroshige Utagawa to perfect ukiyo-e landscape prints later in time. From the Temmei era (1781-89) onward, he became devoted to nikuhitsu-ga painting and produced many outstanding works in such mediums as richly colored, large-scale beauty prints. He became the founder of the Utagawa school.