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Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III) 1786, Edo [Tokyo] - 1865, Edo, Japan Ch. 11, Hanachirusato, from the series Lingering
Past Provenance: the art collection of Jacob Pins (1917-2005), a German-born Israeli woodcut artist and art collector, particularly of Japanese prints and paintings.
Title: Ch. 11,
Hanachirusato, from the series Lingering Sentiments of a Late Collection of
Genji (Genji goshû yojô) [pun on The Fifty-four Chapters of the Tale of Genji
(Genji gojûyojô)]. Description: Colour woodblock print. Mitsuuji seated by lamp with a flute in his hand.
School/style: Utagawa School Publisher: Wakasaya Yoichi (Jakurindô) (Japanese) Edo period
The Edo period (江戸時代, Edo jidai), also known as the Tokugawa period (徳川時代, Tokugawa jidai), is the period between 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when Japan was
under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300
regional daimyo. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period,
the Edo period was characterized by economic growth, strict social order, isolationist foreign
policies, a stable population, perpetual peace, and popular enjoyment of arts and culture,
colloquially referred to as Ōedo (大江戸, Oo-Edo, "Great Edo"). The period derives its name from Edo (now Tokyo), where on March
24, 1603, the shogunate was officially established by Tokugawa Ieyasu. The
period came to an end with the Meiji Restoration and the Boshin
War, which restored imperial rule to Japan.
Date: 1858 (Ansei) Ansei Era (安政) was a Japanese era name (年号, nengō, "year name") after Kaei and before Man'en. This period spanned the years from November 1854 through March
1860. The reigning emperor was Kōmei-tennō (孝明天皇). Production place: Published in Edo (the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo which occupied Tokyo Bay). This color woodblock print is from a series "Genji goshu yojo 源氏後集余情" (Lasting Impressions of a Late Genji Collection) consisting of 38 diptychs and 1 single sheet in the ôban format. The series was published from about the end of 1857 until the 6th month of 1861, or even later, but not in a numerical order. Each diptych presents a full-length figure clad in gorgeously decorated robes standing or sitting against a white background with sprinkled gold and silver dust. The motifs are faithful reproductions in colour of the black-and-white illustrations of the novel "Nise Murasaki Inaka Genji", written by Ryutei Tanehiko (1783-1842) and illustrated by Kunisada published in 1829-42, a parody of Lady Murasaki Shikibu's classic "Tale of Genji." Tanehiko's version of Genji was written in less formal Japanese, and the plot revolves around the hero, named Mitsuuji, who is in search for stolen heirlooms belonging to the Ashikaga family. The work was a runaway best-seller, prompting a boom in Genji publications, plays, fashions and other paraphernalia, all featuring Mitsuuji (the character based on Prince Genji of the original novel) with his trademark “lobster-tail” topknot. Because of the enormous popularity of Tanehiko's new version, single print series were produced in large numbers in order to satisfy the demand of the growing audience. "Genji goshu yojo 源氏後集余情" is a particularly luxurious edition, as each chapter of the tale is represented on a diptych and various complex printing techniques such as blind printing, printing with gold and silver, as well as brilliant colour are applied. The prints in this particular set were kept in an album protected by kiri wood covers, so the colors have remained bright and beautiful.
Size: 35 x 25 cm / 13.78" x 9.84" inch Frame: Unframed Condition: In overall good condition (especially considering the age of the woodcut), complete condition with no tears, rips, wrinkles, repairs, paint peelings or losses, few vertical stains in the center consistent with the age and use.
Utagawa Kunisada (Japanese, 1786-1865) Utagawa
Kunisada,
(born 1786, Edo [Tokyo]—died Jan. 13, 1865, Edo), Japanese artist who was
probably the most prolific of
all the painters and printmakers of the ukiyo-e (“pictures of the floating
world”) movement. He was particularly known for his erotically decadent portraits of women, executed
with a powerful, free style. Kunisada also excelled at portraits of actors,
which were frequently more original than those of his teacher Utagawa
Toyokuni. His masterpiece is a series of
illustrations for Nise murasaki inaka genji, a parody by Ryūtei
Tanehiko of The
Tale of Genji (Genji monogatari). Utagawa
Kunisada (Japanese: 歌川 国貞; 1786 – 12 January 1865), also
known as Utagawa Toyokuni III (三代 歌川 豊国, Sandai
Utagawa Toyokuni), was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist. He is considered the most popular, prolific and commercially successful
designer of ukiyo-e woodblock prints in 19th-century Japan. In
his own time, his reputation far exceeded that of his
contemporaries, Hokusai, Hiroshige and Kuniyoshi.
Evaluation of Kunisada in art history At the end
of the Edo period (1603–1867), Hiroshige, Kuniyoshi and Kunisada were
the three best representatives of the Japanese color woodcut in Edo (capital
city of Japan, now Tokyo). However, among European and American collectors of Japanese prints, beginning
in the late 19th and early 20th century, all three of these artists were
actually regarded as rather inferior to the greats of classical ukiyo-e, and
therefore as having contributed considerably to the downfall of their art. For
this reason, some referred to their works as "decadent".
Beginning
in the 1930s and 1970s, respectively, the works of Hiroshige and Kuniyoshi were
submitted to a re-evaluation, and these two are now counted among the masters
of their art. Thus, from Kunisada alone was withheld, for a long time, the acknowledgment
which is due to him. With a few exceptions, such as actor portraits (yakusha-e) and portraits
of beautiful women (bijin-ga), at the beginning of his career, and some
series of large-size actor head-portraits near the end, it was thought that he
had produced only inferior works. It was not until the early 1990s, with the
appearance of Jan van Doesburg's overview of the artistic development of
Kunisada, and Sebastian Izzard's extensive study of his work, that this picture
began to change, with Kunisada more clearly revealed as one of the
"giants" of the Japanese print that he was.
Biography Although
not much is known of the details of Kunisada's life, there are some
well-established records of particular events. He was born in 1786 in Honjo, an eastern district of Edo. His given name
was Sumida Shōgorō IX (角田庄五朗), and he
was also called Sumida Shōzō (角田庄蔵). A small licensed and hereditary
ferry-boat service belonged to his family, and the income derived from this
business provided a certain basic financial security to engage in leisure
activities such as painting. His father, who was an amateur poet of some renown, died in the year after his
birth. While growing up, he developed an early talent for painting and drawing. His early sketches at that time impressed Toyokuni, the great master of
the Utagawa school and prominent designer of kabuki and
actor-portrait prints. In the year 1800 or shortly thereafter Kunisada was
accepted by Toyokuni I as an apprentice in his workshop. In keeping with a
tradition of Japanese master-apprentice relations, he was then given the
official artist name of "KUNI-sada", the first character of which was
derived from the second part of the name "Toyo-KUNI".
His first
known print dates to the year 1807. However this seems to have been an
exceptional design, and further full-sized prints appear starting only in
1809–1810. As of 1808 he had already begun work as an illustrator of e-hon (woodblock
print illustrated books) and his popularity rapidly increased. In 1809 he was
referred to in contemporary sources as the "star attraction" of the
Utagawa school, and soon thereafter was considered as at least equal to his
teacher Toyokuni in the area of book illustration. Kunisada's first actor portraits appeared in either 1808 or 1809. It is known
that his first bijin-ga series and a series of pentaptychs of
urban scenes of Edo, appear simultaneously in 1809. By 1813 he had risen as a "star" in the constellation of Edo's
artistic world; a contemporary list of the most important ukiyo-e artists
places him in second place behind Toyokuni I. Kunisada remained one of the
"trendsetters" of the Japanese woodblock print until his death in
early 1865.
Beginning
around 1810 Kunisada used the studio name "Gototei", which refers
cryptically to his father's ferry-boat business. Until 1842 this signature appeared on nearly all of his kabuki designs. Around
1825 the studio name "Kochoro" appeared, and was often used on prints
not related to kabuki. This name was derived from a combination of the
pseudonyms of master painter Hanabusa Itcho, and that of his successor Hanabusa
Ikkei, with whom Kunisada had studied a new style of painting around 1824–1825. In 1844, he finally adopted the name of his master Toyokuni I, and for a brief
time used the signature "Kunisada becoming Toyokuni II". Starting in
1844–1845, all of his prints are signed "Toyokuni", partially with
the addition of other studio names as prefixes, such as "Kochoro" and
"Ichiyosai". Although Kunisada referred to himself as "Toyokuni II", he must be
regarded, however, as "Toyokuni III". The question is unsettled as to
why he intentionally ignored Toyoshige, a pupil and son-in-law of Toyokuni
I and who had borne the name "Toyokuni", as legitimate head of the
Utagawa school, from 1825 until his own death in 1835. Towards the end of his
life he began recording his age with his signature on his prints.
The date
of Kunisada's death was the 15th day of the 12th month of the First Year
of Genji. Most sources erroneously report this as having been in the year 1864, though
this date in the Japanese calendar corresponds to the date January
12, 1865, in the Gregorian calendar. Kunisada died in the same
neighborhood in which he had been born.
Artistic activity Almost
from the first day of his activity, and even at the time of his death in 1865,
Kunisada was a trendsetter in the art of the Japanese woodblock print. Always
at the vanguard of his time, and in tune with the tastes of the public, he
continuously developed his style, which was sometimes radically changed, and
did not adhere to stylistic constraints set by any of his contemporaries. His
productivity was extraordinary. About 14,500 individual designs have been catalogued (polyptych sets
counted as a single design) corresponding to more than 22,500 individual
sheets. It seems probable based on these figures that Kunisada actually produced
between 20,000 and 25,000 designs for woodblock prints during his lifetime
(i.e. 35,000 to 40,000 individual sheets).
Following
the traditional pattern of the Utagawa school, Kunisada's main occupation was
kabuki and actor prints, and about 60% of his designs fall in this category. However, he was also highly active in the area of bijin-ga prints
(comprising about 15% of his complete works), and their total number was far
higher than any other artist of his time. From 1820 to 1860 he likewise dominated the market for portraits
of sumo wrestlers. For a long time (1835–1850) he had an almost
complete monopoly on the genre of prints related to The Tale of Genji;
it was only after 1850 that other artists began to produce similar designs. Noteworthy also are the number of his surimono, and although they
were designed almost exclusively prior to 1844, few artists were better-known
in this area.
Kunisada's
paintings, which were privately commissioned, are little-known, but can be
compared to those of other masters of ukiyoe painting. His activity as a book illustrator is also largely unexplored. He was no less
productive in the area of ehon than he was in full-sized prints, and notable
among his book prints are shunga pictures, which appeared in
numerous books. Due to censorship, they are signed only on the title page
with his alias "Matahei". Landscape prints and musha-e (samurai warrior prints) by
Kunisada are rare, and only about 100 designs in each of these genres are
known. He effectively left these two fields to be covered by his contemporaries
Hiroshige and Kuniyoshi, respectively.
The
mid-1840s and early 1850s, were a period of expansion when woodblock prints
were in high demand in Japan. During this time Kunisada collaborated with one
of or both Hiroshige and Kuniyoshi in three major series as well as on a number
of smaller projects. This co-operation was in large part politically motivated in order to
demonstrate solidarity against the intensified censorship regulations of
the Tenpō Reforms. Also beginning around the mid-1850s there are series in which individual parts
of designs (and sometimes complete sheets) are signed by Kunisada's students;
this was done with the intention of promoting their work as individual artists. Notable students of Kunisada included Toyohara Kunichika, Utagawa
Sadahide and Utagawa Kunisada II. The majority of Kunisada's work was of actors portrayed in current popular
plays; most of the rest was of women in the latest fashions. The works dated
with quickly-changing fashions, and there was a constant demand for new prints
to replace the outdated ones.
Reception and legacy Kunisada
had a five-decade prominent career, during which his work was always
phenomenally popular and sold in the thousands, letting him become the all-time
bestselling designer of Japanese woodblock prints. A well-known anecdote recorded in Biographies of the Utagawa School
Artists by Iijima Kyoshin, written beginning of the 1890s, relates
that the young Kuniyoshi, having languished for years as an artist, once
observed Kunisada, ten years older and already an enormously popular artist,
dressed in rich clothes and heartily enjoying himself with a beautiful geisha
along the roads in Edo. Spurred by envy, Kuniyoshi vowed to renew devotion to his art and later
achieved the success he craved. Kunisada was so famous that, in order to help
his friend Hiroshige promote the first edition of the Tokaido, he designed an
own serie of The fifty-three stations of the Tokaido, adding one of
his popular beauties in the foreground of each of Hiroshige's landscapes.
Early
20th-century critics have been reluctant to declare merit in his work,
particularly the one of the later periods. An example of the contempt early
Western critics subjected Kunisada's work to: This very
undistinguished artist was one of the most prolific of the ukiyo-e school. All
that meaningless complexity of design, coarseness of colour, and carelessness
of printing which we associate with the final ruin of the art of colour-prints
finds full expression with him. — Arthur
Davison Ficke, Chats on Japanese Prints (1915) It is only
with the 1990s that Kunisada's work re-gained widespread appreciation.
Nowadays, Kunisada is again well-regarded as one of the main masters of the
ukiyo-e art: Kunisada
became a leading artist of the ukiyo-e school at an early age thanks to his
amazing skill in capturing the likeliness of kabuki actors, creating must-have
souvenirs for their legions of fans. — Sarah
E. Thompson, Kuniyoshi x Kunisada, MFA Publications, Boston, 2017 Accurately
portraying women of different ages and occupations, from Yoshiwara courtesans
to daughters of middle-class families, he allows us to sense their inner world
through their lively facial expressions, in pictures of convincing realism. — Masato
Matsushima, Kuniyoshi x Kunisada, MFA Publications, Boston, 2017 Collections Recent
Exhibits A Third Gender, Royal
Ontario Museum & Japan Society, 2017 Showdown! MFA Boston, 2016
Utagawa, Brooklyn Museum of Art, 2008 Living for the Moment: Japanese Prints from the Collection of Barbara S.
Bowman, LACMA, 2006
Featured
in Major Collections British Museum Evansville Museum of Arts, History and Science Minneapolis Institute of Art Metropolitan Museum of Art Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Los Angeles County Museum of Art University of California, Berkeley Vanderbilt University Fine Arts Gallery
Additional Information: ukiyo-e Japanese art
ukiyo-e, (Japanese: “pictures of the
floating world”) one of the most important genres of art of the Tokugawa
period (1603–1867) in Japan. The style is a mixture of the realistic
narrative of the emaki (“picture scrolls”) produced in
the Kamakura period and the mature decorative style of the Momoyama
and Tokugawa periods. The ukiyo-e style also has about it something of both
native and foreign realism. Screen paintings were the first works to be done in the
style. These depicted aspects of the entertainment quarters (euphemistically
called the “floating world”) of Edo (modern Tokyo) and other urban centres.
Common subjects included famous courtesans and prostitutes, kabuki actors and
well-known scenes from kabuki plays, and erotica. More important than
screen painting, however, were wood-block prints, ukiyo-e artists being
the first to exploit that medium. A new interest in the urban everyday world
and its market motivated the swift development of ukiyo-e prints designed for
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