Toyohara Kunichika

TOYOHARA KUNICHIKA (Japan, 1835-1900)
"Two Kabuki actors."
Pair of ukiyo-e woodcut prints on paper.
Exhibits sligthly wear consistent with age and use and slight flaws on the sides.
Measurements: 36 x 24 x 5 cm (each); 47 x 36 cm (each frame).

Toyohara Kunichika was a noted Japanese ukiyo-e woodcut artist, considered one of the last masters of the traditional style. He was born on June 30, 1835 in the Edo district (later Tokyo) with the original name of Yasohachi Oshima, being the son of a bathhouse owner. Around the age of eleven, he became a student of ukiyo-e with the master Toyohara (Ichi?sai) Chikanobu, and at the age of thirteen he entered the studio of the then leading Tokyo printmaker, Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III). The young Yasohachi was given the artistic name Kunichika, a combination derived from the names of his two masters: Kunisada and Chikanobu. His deep appreciation and knowledge of kabuki drama led him to produce mainly yakusha-e, which are woodblock prints of kabuki actors and scenes from popular plays of the time, characterized by their vibrant and expressive compositions. Kunichika also portrayed women considered beautiful (bijinga), contemporary social life, and some historical scenes and landscapes. He is known to have merged the ukiyo-e tradition with some influences of Western realism, working successfully in both the Edo and Meiji periods. As for his personal life, it is known that he was known for his lively lifestyle, which included being an alcoholic and womanizer, maintaining an erratic life with 103 moves and some forty different women, although he remained faithful to his art. In 1861 he married his first wife, Ohana, and that same year had a daughter named Hana. He died on July 1, 1900 in the city of Tokyo.