Utagawa Toyokuni Landscape Prints

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 brilliance

Artist: Utagawa Toyokuni

"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 Landscape Prints

Materials

Ink, Rice Paper, Woodcut

Utagawa Toyokuni
"Various Himochi" Wagashi Festival Japanese Woodblock Print by Utagawa Toyokuni, 19th Century

$1,480 Sale Price

20% Off

Category

Early 19th Century Edo Utagawa Toyokuni Landscape Prints

Materials

Watercolor, Handmade Paper, Woodcut

Utagawa Yoshitora
The Battle of Dan-no-ura in Yashima, Nagato Province in the First Year ....., 1830

$1,500

$750

H 6.5 in W 4.73 in

"Dawn Inside the Yoshiwara" Utagawa Hiroshige, Japanese Landscape, Ukiyo-e

By Utagawa Hiroshige

Located in New York, NY

Utagawa Hiroshige Dawn Inside the Yoshiwara, circa 1857 Woodblock print 11 x 7 inches Utagawa Hiroshige is recognized as a master of the ukiyo-e woodblock printing tradition, havin...

Category

1850s Naturalistic Utagawa Toyokuni Landscape Prints

Materials

Paper, Ink, Woodcut

$300

H 7.49 in W 11.23 in

Reconstruction of the citadel, or acropolis, of Athens

Located in Middletown, NY

Engraving with hand coloring on H & I Honig watermarked laid paper, 7 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches (191 x 262 mm); sheet 9 1/4 x 13 1/4 inches (235 x 332 mm), full margins. In good condition ...

Category

Early 19th Century Old Masters Utagawa Toyokuni Landscape Prints

Materials

Ink, Handmade Paper

Paul Johann Weindl
Reconstruction of the citadel, or acropolis, of Athens, 1810

$350

H 7.52 in W 10.32 in

Previously Available Items

Ichikawa Danjuro VII

By Utagawa Toyokuni

Located in Austin, TX

Artist: Utagawa Toyokuni I Title: Ichikawa Danjuro VII Medium: Color woodblock print Origin: Japan Date: 1786 Dimensions: 8.5 inches height x 7.5 in width T...

Category

Late 18th Century Edo Utagawa Toyokuni Landscape Prints

Materials

Woodcut

Utagawa Toyokuni
Ichikawa Danjuro VII, 1786

H 8.5 in W 7.5 in