Biography

Ukiyo-e artist. Disciple of Toyoharu Utagawa, who was the founder of the Utagawa school. Using his master’s style as his foundation, he devoted himself to creating his own unique bijin-ga (beauty prints), while also incorporating the styles of Kiyonaga Torii and Utamaro Kitagawa. In 1794, the series “Portraits of Actors on the Stage,” published by Ichibee Izumiya, gained popularity for the full-length portraiture of each actor, using a plain backdrop. By 1796, he produced over 40 prints in this same series. He beautifully idealized the kabuki actors he admired, through portraying them with graceful fine lines and clear colors. This series boosted him to become the leading artist in the genre of actor prints, exceeding the popularity of Sharaku Toshusai, who was also active during the same period. Aside from the multicolored prints, Toyokuni produced many illustrations for printed books in such genres as gokan (bound volumes), yomihon (printed novels), and kibyoshi (picture books).