Utagawa Toyokuni Art
Japanese, 1769-1825
Utagawa Toyokuni[a] (歌川 豊国; 1769 – 24 February 1825), also often referred to as Toyokuni I, to distinguish him from the members of his school who took over his gō (art-name) after he died, was a great master of ukiyo-e, known in particular for his kabuki actor prints. He was the second head of the renowned Utagawa school of Japanese woodblock artists, and was the artist who elevated it to the position of great fame and power it occupied for the rest of the nineteenth century.
He was born, the son of Kurahashi Gorobei, a carver of dolls and puppets, including replicas of kabuki actors.
At around 14, Toyokuni was apprenticed to the first head of the Utagawa house, Utagawa Toyoharu, whom his father knew well and who lived nearby.
One of his fellow pupils under Toyoharu was Toyohiro, whose pupil was the great landscape artist Hiroshige. In recognition of his artistic ability, Toyokuni later took the name Utagawa Toyokuni, following the common practice of using one syllable of his master's name.
Toyokuni seems not to have been an "intuitive genius"determined to forge a new path; rather, he seems to have studied intently those who came before him, particularly Utamaro, Chōbunsai Eishi and Eishōsai Chōki and through a great deal of hard work produced first a mastery, and then a synthesis of their styles, to create a style of his own.
He was known mostly for his prints related to the kabuki theatre, in particular his yakusha-e actor portraits, a field which he took to new heights. He also, however, produced other genres such as musha-e warrior prints, shunga erotica, and most notably bijin-ga.
In his actor prints, like Sharaku, one sees the real subject; but his prints merely portrayed what he saw, unlike Sharaku who exaggerated those aspects he saw as the most key. It is said of Toyokuni's prints that they recreate exactly what one would see on stage; they show actors acting, not merely just pictures of actors.
Together, these characteristics made Toyokuni's prints far more popular among theatre-goers than Sharaku's, although history has come to judge Sharaku the keener observer and greater artist.
His popularity and prolific output may in part have been his undoing, though. From 1803 through 1817, his work became more static, even as it became more popular. He continued to produce large quantities of prints, but the quality as a rule did not match that of his earlier days. Occasional prints from this period, however, show his old brillianceto
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Artist: Utagawa Toyokuni
Kabuki Actor in Water Lily Robe with Samurai Sword - Japanese Woodblock Print
By Utagawa Toyokuni
Located in Soquel, CA
Kabuki Actor in Water Lily Robe with Samurai Sword- Japanese Woodblock Print
Finely detailed woodblock by Utagawa Toyokuni (Japanese, 1769-1825). A kabuki actor ("Master Haranyuki Sawamura") is standing on stage with mountainous backdrop, wearing a robe in a water lily pattern. He is wearing a samurai sword.
Presented in a gold colored frame with a silk mat.
Frame size: 20"H x 14.25"W
Image size: 14"H x 9"W
Utagawa Toyokuni (Japanese, 1769-1825) was born in Edo, the son of Kurahashi Gorobei, a carver of dolls and puppets...
Category
Early 19th Century Edo Utagawa Toyokuni Art
Materials
Ink, Rice Paper, Woodcut
"Various Himochi" Wagashi Festival Japanese Woodblock Print by Utagawa Toyokuni
By Utagawa Toyokuni
Located in Soquel, CA
"Various Himochi" Wagashi Festival Japanese Woodblock Print by Utagawa Toyokuni
Rare oversized early 19th century 5-tiered woodblock by Utagawa Ichiyosai Toyokuni, (Japan, 1769-1825), a Japanese lord and wife oversee a sekku festival of food, music, and dolls or toys. '"oshi" is the first day of “Mi (Snake)” in the third month of the lunar calendar. This day, known in modern Japan as the Girls' Festival, originated in China as a form of purification ceremony in which water and drinking peach blossom wine were used to drive away evil. Many kinds of hishi-mochi appear in this picture of hina ningyo (dolls associated with Hinamatsuri, or the Girl’s Day) from Omochae.
The custom of eating special dishes at events throughout the year and at milestones in people's lives has existed since ancient times. This paragraph specifically focuses on the annual event called sekku, and life events that involve eating sweets. Joshi is the first day of “Mi (Snake)” in the third month of the lunar calendar. This day, known in modern Japan as the Girls' Festival, originated in China as a form of purification ceremony in which water and drinking peach blossom wine were used to drive away evil. According to the Keiso saijiki, in ancient China, on the third day of the third lunar month, people ate “ryuzetsuhan,” which is the juice of gogyo (Jersey cudweed) mixed with rice flour and nectar. In Japan, there is a record in the Heian period history book Nihon Montoku tenno jitsuroku [839-5] that it was an annual event to make kusamochi using gogyo on the third day of the third month of the lunar calendar, which may have been influenced by Chinese customs.
The tradition of eating kusamochi on the third day of the third month of the lunar calendar continued after that. By the Edo period, however, hishimochi had come to be used as a sweet to serve on the third day of the third month. A picture of a hishimochi is included in the Morisada manko , which we mentioned in Part 1. According to it, hishimochi in the Edo period were often three layers of green-white-green instead of the now common red-white-green. However, it is possible to see from our collection that not all hishimochi were made in this way. Omochae published in 1857, is a good example. Omochae is a type of ukiyoe print...
Category
1820s Edo Utagawa Toyokuni Art
Materials
Ink, Rice Paper, Woodcut
Kabuki Actor with Pine-Patterned Robe - Japanese Woodblock Print
By Utagawa Toyokuni
Located in Soquel, CA
Kabuki Actor with Pine-Patterned Robe - Japanese Woodblock Print
Finely detailed woodblock by Utagawa Toyokuni (Japanese, 1769-1825). A kabuki actor is standing on a wooden deck, wearing a robe with a pine-needle pattern. He is holding a sword and a staff. In the background, tree branches hang down from out of frame.
Presented in a gold colored frame with a silk mat.
Frame size: 20"H x 14.25"W
Image size: 14"H x 8.5"W
Utagawa Toyokuni (Japanese, 1769-1825) was born in Edo, the son of Kurahashi Gorobei, a carver of dolls and puppets...
Category
Early 19th Century Impressionist Utagawa Toyokuni Art
Materials
Ink, Rice Paper, Woodcut
Kabukie - Woodcut Print by Utagawa Toyokuni - 1810s
By Utagawa Toyokuni
Located in Roma, IT
Kabukie is a modern artwork realized by Utagawa Toyokuni I in 1811-14.
Woodcut Print Oban Format
Nakamura Utaemon III performs the dynamic Sanbaso dance.
...
Category
19th Century Modern Utagawa Toyokuni Art
Materials
Woodcut
Actor Iwai Hanshiro as a Samurai by Utagawa Toyokuni I - Early 19th Century
By Utagawa Toyokuni
Located in Roma, IT
Actor Iwai Hanshiro as a Samurai is an artwork realized by Utagawa Toyokuni (1769-1825), in the early 19th Century
Color woodcut, signed or inscribed in the top right and bottom lef...
Category
Early 19th Century Modern Utagawa Toyokuni Art
Materials
Woodcut
Ichikawa Danjuro in the Role of Chobei - Woodcut by Utagawa Toyokuni - 1810s
By Utagawa Toyokuni
Located in Roma, IT
Ichikawa Danjuro in the role of Chobei is an original modern artwork realized by Utagawa Toyokuni (Edo, 1769 – Edo, 1825).
Original Woodcut Print.
Oban from a Triptych, around 1810.
The actor Ichikawa Danjuro sitting on a bench and fretting, behind him a green curtain with peony motif.
Signed: Toyokuni ga. Publisher: Yamamotoya Heikichi.
Excellent impression, cut, centrefold, a little bit rubbed and soiled.
Utagawa Toyokuni (Edo, 1769 – Edo, 1825), also often referred to as Toyokuni I...
Category
1810s Modern Utagawa Toyokuni Art
Materials
Woodcut
Oriental Scene - Woodcut Print by Utagawa Toyokuni - 1820s
By Utagawa Toyokuni
Located in Roma, IT
Oriental scene is an original modern artwork realized by Toyoukuni I in 1820-30.
Woodcut Print Oban Format
Scene on the veranda of a restaurant overlooking a bay with ships. Seki S...
Category
19th Century Modern Utagawa Toyokuni Art
Materials
Woodcut
Man with the Dragon - Woodblock Print by Utagawa Toyokuni I - 1800 ca
By Utagawa Toyokuni
Located in Roma, IT
Man with the Dragon is a superb color woodbloock print on rice-paper, realized by the great master of ukiyo-e print, Utagawa Toyokuni I (1769-1825)
Depicti...
Category
Early 1800s Utagawa Toyokuni Art
Materials
Paper, Woodcut
Nakamura Daikichi - Woodcut Print by Utagawa Toyokuni - 1820s
By Utagawa Toyokuni
Located in Roma, IT
Nakamura Daikichi and Seki Sanjuro is an original modern artwork realized by Utagawa Toyokuni I in 1820-30.
Woodcut Print Oban Dyptich Format
Nakamura Da...
Category
19th Century Modern Utagawa Toyokuni Art
Materials
Woodcut
Inari Kozo Tasaburo- Kabuki
By Utagawa Toyokuni
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Inari Kozo Tasaburo- Kabuki
Color woodcut, c. 1820
Signed: ‘Toyokuni’
Publisher: ‘Yamamoto Heikichi’
Censor: Hama and Magome
Very good impression and color
Sheet/Image size: 15 1/2 x...
Category
1820s Other Art Style Utagawa Toyokuni Art
Materials
Woodcut
Set of Eight Period Japanese Colored Woodblock Print
By Utagawa Toyokuni
Located in Roma, IT
Important series of eight colorful Japanese woodblock prints featuring iconic scenes of Japanese life.
They are the work of great artists including:
Mizuno Toshikata (1866-1908)
Utagawa Toyokuni (Japanese: ?; 1769 in Edo – 24 February 1825 in Edo)
This series of woodblock prints, never before on the market, comes from a private collection.
Utagawa Toyokuni[a] (歌川 豊国; 1769 – 24 February 1825), also often referred to as Toyokuni I, to distinguish him from the members of his school who took over his gō (art-name) after he died, was a great master of ukiyo-e, known in particular for his kabuki actor prints.
He was the second head of the renowned Utagawa school of Japanese woodblock artists, and was the artist who elevated it to the position of great fame and power it occupied for the rest of the nineteenth century.
He was born, the son of Kurahashi Gorobei, a carver of dolls and puppets...
Category
Late 19th Century Old Masters Utagawa Toyokuni Art
Materials
Paper, Lithograph
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Late 18th Century Edo Utagawa Toyokuni Art
Materials
Woodcut
H 13.5 in W 9 in D 0.004 in
Utagawa Toyokuni art for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Utagawa Toyokuni art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Utagawa Toyokuni in woodcut print 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 Toyokuni art, so small editions measuring 9 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Lucien Métivet, Robert De Launay, and Frank Kleinholz. Utagawa Toyokuni art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $627 and tops out at $719, while the average work can sell for $627.