Born in Hongo in Edo, Toyokuni II began his career as a pottery dealer. He was a pupil and son-in-law of Toyokuni I and assumed his teacher's name after Toyokuni I's death in 1825. As other pupils vied for the name "Toyokuni II," Toyokuni II began to sign his woodblock prints Toyoshige, but after a year used the go Toyokuni or Gosotei Toyokuni, becoming the Hongo Toyokuni. In later years he returned to the go Toyoshige. Toyokuni II's woodblock prints largely portrayed actors and bijin (beautiful women), but he also designed landscape prints and book illustrations.