Utagawa Yoshitora Art
Japanese, d. 1880
Utagawa Yoshitora (Japanese, active c. 1840-1880) was a designer of ukiyo-e Japanese woodblock prints and an illustrator of books and newspapers who was active from about 1840 to about 1880. He was born in Edo (modern Tokyo), but neither his date of birth nor date of death is known. However, he was the oldest pupil of Utagawa Kuniyoshi who excelled in prints of warriors, kabuki actors, beautiful women, and foreigners (Yokohama-e). He may not have seen any of the foreign scenes he depicted.
Yoshitora was prolific: he produced over 60 print series and illustrated over 100 books. In 1849 he produced an irreverent print called Dōke musha: Miyo no wakamochi ("Funny Warriors—Our Ruler's New Year's Rice Cakes"), which depicts Oda Nobunaga, Akechi Mitsuhide, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi making mochi rice cakes for the shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu. A poem by Sawaya Kōkichi accompanies it, reading "Kimi ga yo wo tsuki katametari haru no mochi" ("Tamping down the reign firm and solid like spring rice cakes"). Censors interpreted the print as a criticism of authority and had Yoshitora manacled for fifty days. Soon after Yoshitora was expelled from Kuniyoshi's studio, possibly due to the print, but he continued to produce illustrations prolifically.
From the 1860s Yoshitora produced Yokohama-e pictures of foreigners amid rapid modernization that came to Japan after the country was opened to trade. He collaborated on a number of landscape series, and in the Meiji period that began in 1868 he also worked in newspapers. The last of his known works appeared in 1882.(Biography provided by Robert Azensky Fine Art)
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Artist: Utagawa Yoshitora
Foreign Soldiers from Five Countries at the Port of Yokohama
By Utagawa Yoshitora
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Foreign Soldiers from Five Countries at the Port of Yokohama
Color woodcut triptych, c. 1860's
Signed in the block lower left corner Signed: "Ichimosai Yoshitora ga"
Condition: Mounted to a rose colored silk backing (stable)
Staining (visible) in the joining of the right and center sheets
Colors very slightly faded
Image size: 15 3/8 x 31 3/8 inches (triptysch sheets joined to make one print)
The 1854 Treaty of Kanagawa opened Japan to the West. Curiosity about the never-before-seen foreigners spurred a market in Yokohama-e (Yokohama prints), named for the area to which foreign dignitaries and merchants were confined. Yoshitora became one of the best known and most active artists of the Yokohama-e school.
Utagawa Yoshitora (歌川 芳虎) was a designer of ukiyo-e Japanese woodblock prints and an illustrator of books and newspapers who was active from about 1850 to about 1880. He was born in Edo (modern Tokyo), but neither his date of birth nor date of death is known. However, he was the oldest pupil of Utagawa Kuniyoshi who excelled in prints of warriors, kabuki actors, beautiful women, and foreigners (Yokohama-e). He may not have seen any of the foreign scenes he depicted.
Yoshitora was prolific: he produced over 60 print series and illustrated over 100 books. In 1849 he produced an irreverent print called Dōke musha: Miyo no wakamochi ("Funny Warriors—Our Ruler's New Year's Rice Cakes"), which depicts Oda Nobunaga, Akechi Mitsuhide, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi...
Category
Mid-19th Century Utagawa Yoshitora Art
Materials
Woodcut
The Battle of Dan-no-ura in Yashima, Nagato Province in the First Year .....
By Utagawa Yoshitora
Located in Middletown, NY
The Battle of Dan-no-ura in Yashima, Nagato Province in the First Year of the Bunji Era (1185)
Tokyo c. 1830
Woodblock print (nishiki-e) with ink and hand-coloring in watercolor on handmade mulberry paper, 14 7/16 x 9 15/16 inches (367 x 252 mm), ōban tate-e, the full sheet. In good condition with some handling creases. Colors are fresh and extremely vibrant. The right panel from the triptych by Yoshitora depicting one of Japan's most storied naval battles. An impression of this work may be found in the permanent collection of the Honolulu Museum of Art.
The great naval battle of Dan-no-ura in 1185 was the final climax in a long series of bitter wars between two powerful families in feudal Japan...
Category
Early 19th Century Edo Utagawa Yoshitora Art
Materials
Handmade Paper, Watercolor, Woodcut
The Samurai Genta Kajiwara - Japanese Woodblock Diptych in Ink on Paper
By Utagawa Yoshitora
Located in Soquel, CA
The Samurai Genta Kajiwara - Japanese Woodblock Diptych in Ink on Paper
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Nihonbashi Bridge - Woodcut Print by Utagawa Yoshitora - 1875
By Utagawa Yoshitora
Located in Roma, IT
Scene on the Nihonbashi Bridge is an artwork realized in 1875 by Utagawa Yoshitora.
Woodcut print triptych. Signed: Mosai ga. Publisher: Sawamuraya...
Category
1870s Modern Utagawa Yoshitora Art
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Eiyu Osana Hyakuin (A hundred Heroes in their Childhood)
By Utagawa Yoshitora
Located in Roma, IT
Signed “Ichimosai Yoshitora ga” and “Ittosai Toshitsuna ga” and dated “Kaei 5” (1851). No Editor. Including 50+1 original illustrations, 39 of which by Yoshitora and 11 of which by Yoshitsuna.
Author : Shotei Kinsui
Illustrator : Utagawa Yoshitora...
Category
1850s Modern Utagawa Yoshitora Art
Materials
Woodcut
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Utagawa Yoshitora art for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Utagawa Yoshitora art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Utagawa Yoshitora in woodcut print, paper, handmade paper and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 19th century and is mostly associated with the modern style. Not every interior allows for large Utagawa Yoshitora art, so small editions measuring 6 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Kunichika Toyohara, Keisei Eisen, and Toyohara Kunichika. Utagawa Yoshitora art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $780 and tops out at $2,952, while the average work can sell for $1,280.