Utagawa Kunimasa
Encyclopedia
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.
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...
printmaker and student of Utagawa Toyokuni. Originally from Aizu in Iwashiro province
Iwashiro Province
is an old province in the area of Fukushima Prefecture. It was sometimes called .The province occupies the western half of the central part of Fukushima Prefecture; the eastern half is Iwaki Province. More precisely, Date and Adachi Districts in the north belong to Iwashiro and Higashishirakawa and...
, he first worked in a dye
Dye
A dye is a colored substance that has an affinity to the substrate to which it is being applied. The dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution, and requires a mordant to improve the fastness of the dye on the fiber....
shop upon arriving in 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...
(now Tokyo). It was there that he was noticed by Toyokuni, to whom he became apprenticed.
Kunimasa is especially known for his yakusha-e
Yakusha-e
Yakusha-e , often referred to as "actor prints" in English, are Japanese woodblock prints or, rarely, paintings, of kabuki actors, particularly those done in the ukiyo-e style popular through the Edo period and into the beginnings of the 20th century...
prints (portraits of kabuki
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...
actors) and for his bijinga
Bijinga
Bijinga , is a generic term for pictures of beautiful women in Japanese art, especially in woodblock printing of the ukiyo-e genre, which predate photography...
pictures of beautiful women). His style is said to strive to "combine the intensity of Sharaku
Sharaku
is widely considered to be one of the great masters of the woodblock printing in Japan. Little is known of him, besides his ukiyo-e prints; neither his true name nor the dates of his birth or death are known with any certainty...
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.