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| Toyokuni I: Actor Iwai Hanshirō V as Sukeroku, 1816 |
Utagawa Toyokuni (1769-1825), or Toyokuni I, was a very influential ukiyo-e artist, best known for yakusha-e, kabuki motives. He changed the direction of how yakusha-e developed and set the standard for more than a generation. He even influenced the kabuki theatre itself.
Through Toyokuni and his students, who included Kunisada and Kuniyoshi, the Utagawa school became dominant within ukiyo-e, a dominance previously held by the Torii school.
The picture shows an uchiwa-e, a fan print, Actor Iwai Hanshirō V as Sukeroku, from 1816.
Fans of kabuki used to carry a fan (no pun intended) with a picture of their idol. However, there were fan-shaped prints in other sub-genres of ukiyo-e as well.
Through Toyokuni and his students, who included Kunisada and Kuniyoshi, the Utagawa school became dominant within ukiyo-e, a dominance previously held by the Torii school.
The picture shows an uchiwa-e, a fan print, Actor Iwai Hanshirō V as Sukeroku, from 1816.
Fans of kabuki used to carry a fan (no pun intended) with a picture of their idol. However, there were fan-shaped prints in other sub-genres of ukiyo-e as well.