Utagawa Kunisada was an ukiyo-e artist active from the late Edo period to the early Meiji period, and later took the name Utagawa Toyokuni III. He left behind a huge number of works in a wide range of genres, including actor paintings, portraits of beautiful women, landscapes, and warrior paintings, and was known as the "Prince of Ukiyo-e" due to his prolificacy and popularity. His works are characterized by a refined style, vibrant colors, and expressions that sensitively capture the trends of the time.

Utagawa Kunisada Biography

• Born in 1786 in Edo (present-day Tokyo)
• In 1800, he became a disciple of the first Utagawa Toyokuni.
• He began publishing actor paintings around 1807.
• From the 1820s, he also gained popularity for his portraits of beautiful women.
• In 1844, he took the name Utagawa Toyokuni III.
• Died in 1865 (aged 78)

Representative works

• Actor pictures:

  • "Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido" (1833-1834), a collaboration with Utagawa Hiroshige
  • "An Anthology of Thirty-six Poems from Mitate" (An Anthology of Thirty-six Poems from Mitate)
  • "Masaoka from Nakamura Shikan's "Kyara Sendai Hagi"" (Masaoka from Nakamura Shikan's "Kyara Sendai Hagi")

• Portrait of a beautiful woman:

  • "Twelve Months of Modern Beauty" (Twelve Months of Modern Beauty)
  • "Seiro Twelve Hours" (Seiro Twelve Hours)
  • "Lady's Guest" (Lady's Guest)

Kunisada's style and achievements

Kunisada's works are characterized by refined lines, vivid colors, and precise depictions of the characteristics of actors and beautiful women. He excelled at expressing the realism of the stage by meticulously depicting the expressions, gestures, and costumes of the actors . In his portraits of beautiful women, he also depicted glamorous fashions and hairstyles that were popular at the time, captivating the people of Edo.

Kunisada 's prolific output and wide range of subjects made him a central figure in the world of ukiyo-e in the late Edo period. His works reflect the popular culture of the time and remain valuable historical documents even today. Many talented ukiyo-e artists came from his school and made a major contribution to the development of the Utagawa school.

Kunisada is one of the great masters of ukiyo-e prints from the late Edo period, and his works occupy an important place in the history of Japanese art.