Torii Kiyomoto
Encyclopedia
was a kabuki
actor from Osaka
and painter of billboards and other kabuki advertisements; the founder of the Torii school
of artists, he painted in what would come to be known as an early form of the ukiyo-e
style. Onstage, he went by the name Torii Shōshichi.
Moving to Edo
in 1687 with his son Shōbei, he made his home very close to the entertainment district. He was unsuccessful onstage, like many other Osaka actors who tried to adapt to the Edo acting styles and audience preferences, so he turned to focus exclusively on painting advertisements and billboards for the kabuki theater. Soon eclipsed by Shōbei, who took the name Torii Kiyonobu in his artistic career, the pair established a school (style) of painting which would strongly influence that of the emerging ukiyo-e, and which would monopolize the painting of kabuki signboards through the Edo period
and into the 20th century.
None of his work is known to survive today.
Kabuki
is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...
actor from Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
and painter of billboards and other kabuki advertisements; the founder of the Torii school
Torii school
This article is about a school of ukiyo-e art; for the sculpture style, see Tori style. For the Torii samurai clan, see Torii family.The Torii school was a school of ukiyo-e painting and printing founded in Edo...
of artists, he painted in what would come to be known as an early form of the ukiyo-e
Ukiyo-e
' is a genre of Japanese woodblock prints and paintings produced between the 17th and the 20th centuries, featuring motifs of landscapes, tales from history, the theatre, and pleasure quarters...
style. Onstage, he went by the name Torii Shōshichi.
Moving to Edo
Edo
, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
in 1687 with his son Shōbei, he made his home very close to the entertainment district. He was unsuccessful onstage, like many other Osaka actors who tried to adapt to the Edo acting styles and audience preferences, so he turned to focus exclusively on painting advertisements and billboards for the kabuki theater. Soon eclipsed by Shōbei, who took the name Torii Kiyonobu in his artistic career, the pair established a school (style) of painting which would strongly influence that of the emerging ukiyo-e, and which would monopolize the painting of kabuki signboards through the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
and into the 20th century.
None of his work is known to survive today.