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Utagawa Kuniyoshi
Dressing the Boy Samurai - Kuniyoshi Japanese Woodblock Print Original Wood Cut

mid 19th Century

About the Item

Dressing the Boy Samurai - Kuniyoshi Japanese Woodblock Print Original Wood Cut A young Samurai boy is finishing dressing with the help of a younger sister while his mother looks on by Utagawa Kumiyoshi (Japan, 1797 - 1861 ). Presented in a black frame. Frame Size: 20.5"H x 15"W Image Size: 13.5"H x 9.5"W “Previously young samurai of the household still wore the round forelock hairstyles of children until around age fourteen or fifteen, and none of them walked around wearing two swords. Instead, they wore just one short sword when they left the house. It was proper for all of them to start wearing two swords when they trimmed corners into their forelocks and sewed up the open underarms of their kimonos in a ‘half-adulthood’ ceremony showing they would soon take on the appearance and duties of an adult. But in recent years, little boys aged five or six with their hair still up in toddler-like buns cannot go out of the house for even a minute without wearing two swords. Their parents and elder brothers say that of course it is a sign of being born into a warrior house, that they are born into precocious excellence and should wear two swords like adults.”— Tosa samurai Minoura Yukinao, writing in 1803 at age seventy-eight 美人去問問 正 Appears in the upper left corner. 佐 Appears in the lower left. Utagawa Kumiyoshi (1797 - 1861 ) The son of silk dyer, Kuniyoshi Utagawa was born into the Igusa family in Edo. Little is known about his very early years, though he is said to have shown remarkable talent from a young age. Kuniyoshi began his ukiyo-e career as a pupil of Shunei. At age 14 he was accepted to study the art of woodblock printing under Toyokuni I and, in time, would become one of his most successful students. In 1814, he left Toyokuni’s studio to pursue a career as an independent ukiyo-e artist. Initially, he had little success, selling tatami mats in order to support himself. However, his fortunes changed in 1827 with his dramatic series 108 Heroes of the Suikoden. From that point forward, the public hungered for his portrayals of famous samurai and legendary heroes. Kuniyoshi Utagawa worked across all genres, producing some brilliant landscapes and charming bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful women). He died in the spring of 1861 from complications of a stroke. In direct contrast to the peaceful views of a scenic Japan provided by Hiroshige and Hokusai, the following decades saw a rise of the fierce, fearsome and fantastical in ukiyo-e. Kuniyoshi welcomed this changing public taste. He had a ravenous imagination and the full scope of his work reveals an aesthetic sensibility capable of capturing almost any experience. No doubt, however, his particular genius felt most at home in the world of martial glory, where epic battles decided the fate of empires and fierce warriors clashed to the death. Kuniyoshi's Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints were so popular in his time that he received requests for tattoo designs.
  • Creator:
    Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861)
  • Creation Year:
    mid 19th Century
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 20.5 in (52.07 cm)Width: 15 in (38.1 cm)Depth: 0.75 in (1.91 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
    Tonal ageing to paper, consistent with age.
  • Gallery Location:
    Soquel, CA
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: N90541stDibs: LU54213834832
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