Utagawa Kunisada

620 works

Kunisada's family ran a small ferry service in Honjo, an eastern district of Edo, and that income gave him time to paint. Read more

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Courtesan beneath a Mosquito Net

1615

Hanging scroll of a seated figure in a blue kimono on a green cushion, with red seals at the right edge.

Portrait of Iwai Kumesaburō II

ca. 1827-29 (Kansei 10-12)

Hanging scroll portrait of a seated man in red hakama holding a sword, with calligraphy above him and a brocade mount.

Memorial Portrait of the Actor Ichikawa Ōmezō I

painting ca. 1833; inscription dated 1858

Hanging scroll of a warrior doll held aloft by a strongman with children, beside a bamboo pole with streamers and a bearded f

Memorial Portrait of Iwai Hanshirō VI

1836

Colour woodcut of a kabuki theatre audience watching two sword-wielding actors on stage beneath paper lanterns.

Interior of a Kabuki theatre while a performance is in progress. Colour woodcut by Kunisada I, 1858

Triptych woodblock print of tattooed warriors with swords in patterned kimono against a dark blue background.

Utagawa's Lifetime Masterpiece, from the Japanese version of the Shuihu Zhuan

1863 (5th month)

Japanese woodblock triptych of elegant figures under a parasol by a river, with peasants planting rice fields in the distance

Prince Genji in modern dress with lady attendants visiting Ashikaya (north Kantō Plain) in the fifth lunar month; pea…

Triptych woodcut of Japanese soldiers attacking a walled fortress with rising sun flags, tents, smoke and a mountain landscap

The occupation of Jiuliancheng in China by our soldiers

c. 1894

Woodblock print of a woman in a patterned kimono by rough blue waves, with a red title cartouche above.

Print - Utagawa Kunisada, 1786

1786

Woodblock print of a seated woman and older man in an interior, with a screen of fighting samurai behind them.

Print - Utagawa Kunisada, 1840

ca. 1840

Woodblock print of a woman in a grey kimono parting a teal noren curtain, with a sword and kanji inscriptions.

Print - Utagawa Kunisada, 1850

ca. 1850

Woodcut portrait of a kabuki actor with a dragon tattoo on his bared arm, framed in an ornate round mirror border.

Portrait within a round mirror depicting actor Ichikawa Ichizō III as Sankichi, a popular hero with bared arm and sho…

Woodblock print of a kabuki actor with red face paint and wild black hair biting a flowering plum branch.

Ichikawa Danjuro VII as Kan Shojo in the Mt. Tenpai Scene, from the series Famous Kabuki Plays

1814

Woodblock print of divers beside red boats on a choppy sea, with rocks, seaweed and distant hills.

Abalone Divers off the Coast of Ise, from an Untitled Landscape Series

early 1830s

Woodblock print of a woman in a red kimono bending over a paper lantern beside a folding screen and tray.

Woman Putting Out a Light (from the series Modern Customs: Frost Beneath the Stars)

c. 1820

Woodblock print of a woman in a patterned kimono holding red geta sandals, standing by a blue noren curtain.

Woman Leaving a Bath House (from the series Pictures from Otsu)

c. mid 1820s

Woodblock print of a woman in a patterned kimono preparing a bonito fish on a wooden tub, with clouds behind her.

The Military Tales of Han and Chu: Fan Kuai of the Han

c. late 1820s

Woodblock print of a seated woman in a striped kimono holding a fan in a room with cherry blossom screens.

A View of the Large New Room at Sakurai

early or mid 1830s

Woodblock print of a bald kabuki actor in stage makeup wearing a blue starburst-patterned kimono, looking sideways.

Nakamura Utaemon III as the Monkey Trainer Yojiro (from the series Famous Kabuki Plays)

mid-1810s

Japanese woodblock print of a woman in a striped kimono holding a hand mirror, with a river and blossoms in a circular frame.

Woman with a Hand Mirror from the series The Six Tama Rivers of the Floating World

c. early 1830s

Woodblock print of a woman in a floral kimono standing in snow beneath plum branches, with red camellias at her feet.

Woman Standing Beside a Plum Tree

c. 1850

Woodblock print of a seated man in a blue kimono with a sword, with calligraphy and a red seal beside him.

Muraogi, from the series The False Murasaki's Rustic Genji (Nise Murasaki Inaka Genji)

1830s

Japanese woodblock diptych of two courtesans with attendants walking under a parasol in the rain.

The Courtesans Hanamurasaki and Koshikibu of the Tamaya Promenading in the Rain

c. early 1830s

Woodblock print of a woman with a yoke and buckets in a blue patterned kimono, with a poet portrait and poem scroll.

Harumichi no Tsuraki from the series A Pictorial Commentary on One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets, no. 31

1844-47

Japanese woodblock print of a woman in a kimono washing patterned cloth in a wooden tub beside a curtain.

Seated Woman Washing Clothes in a Wooden Tub

1786-1864

Woodblock print of Musashibo Benkei in striped armor kneeling beneath a blossoming plum tree against a yellow background.

Musashibo Benkei Kneeling by a Plum Tree

c. mid or late 1810s

Japanese woodblock print of a woman in a red patterned kimono tying her hair, with an inset view of a restaurant scene.

Woman Tying Her Hair (from the series Famous Restaurants of the Present Day)

c. early 1820s

Woodblock print of a woman with long black hair combing it, holding a fan, in a blue patterned kimono beside a garden tray.

Woman with a Fan in her Left Hand Combing her Hair

1786-1864

Kunisada's family ran a small ferry service in Honjo, an eastern district of Edo, and that income gave him time to paint. He joined the workshop of Toyokuni I in 1800 or shortly after. About 60% of his designs show kabuki actors, and he also made a great many prints of beautiful women. Western collectors long saw his work as inferior and some called it decadent, but that view only began to change in the 1990s. He died in January 1865 in the same neighbourhood where he was born. Browse 620 works by Utagawa Kunisada from 15 museums, free to download in HD. Source: Wikipedia

Utagawa Kunisada

Courtesan beneath a Mosquito Net

Portrait of Iwai Kumesaburō II

Memorial Portrait of the Actor Ichikawa Ōmezō I

Boy's Festival

Memorial Portrait of Iwai Hanshirō VI

Interior of a Kabuki theatre while a performance is in progress. Colour woodcut by Kunisada I, 1858

Utagawa's Lifetime Masterpiece, from the Japanese version of the Shuihu Zhuan

Prince Genji in modern dress with lady attendants visiting Ashikaya (north Kantō Plain) in the fifth lunar month; pea…

The occupation of Jiuliancheng in China by our soldiers

Print - Utagawa Kunisada, 1786

Print - Utagawa Kunisada, 1840

Print - Utagawa Kunisada, 1850

Portrait within a round mirror depicting actor Ichikawa Ichizō III as Sankichi, a popular hero with bared arm and sho…

Ichikawa Danjuro VII as Kan Shojo in the Mt. Tenpai Scene, from the series Famous Kabuki Plays

Abalone Divers off the Coast of Ise, from an Untitled Landscape Series

Woman Putting Out a Light (from the series Modern Customs: Frost Beneath the Stars)

Woman Leaving a Bath House (from the series Pictures from Otsu)

First Bonito of the Year

The Military Tales of Han and Chu: Fan Kuai of the Han

A View of the Large New Room at Sakurai

Nakamura Utaemon III as the Monkey Trainer Yojiro (from the series Famous Kabuki Plays)

Woman with a Hand Mirror from the series The Six Tama Rivers of the Floating World

Woman Standing Beside a Plum Tree

Portrait

Woman Diver Combing her Hair

Muraogi, from the series The False Murasaki's Rustic Genji (Nise Murasaki Inaka Genji)

The Courtesans Hanamurasaki and Koshikibu of the Tamaya Promenading in the Rain

Harumichi no Tsuraki from the series A Pictorial Commentary on One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets, no. 31

Seated Woman Washing Clothes in a Wooden Tub

Musashibo Benkei Kneeling by a Plum Tree

Woman Tying Her Hair (from the series Famous Restaurants of the Present Day)

Woman with a Fan in her Left Hand Combing her Hair

Utagawa Kunisada

Artworks