Kunichika (1835 - 1900 )

Kunichika Toyohara was one the most important woodblock print artists of the Meiji period (1868-1912). Best known for his dramatic actor portraits (yakusha-e.), Kunichika ushered ukiyo-e into a new era of color printmaking. At his hand, the floating world came to life in rich purples and deep reds. Even as new artistic mediums became popular in Japan, Kunichika championed the genres and aesthetics of ukiyo-e in vivid color.

 

Born as Yasohachi Oshima in 1835, Kunichika's father was a public bathhouse proprietor in Kyobashi district, home to many artists and merchants. He changed assumed his mother's family name, Arakawa, during his youth. Kunichika began his artistic training around the age of 12 under Chikanobu Ichiosai Toyohara. Roughly two years later, Kunichika apprenticed under Kunisada Utagawa (1786-1865) and began to produce actor prints in the 1850s. Though he worked in the style of the Utagawa school, he never used the Utagawa name. Kunichika took his artist name from names of his two teachers. After more than a decade in Kunisada's studio, Kunichika's popularity rose as he stepped out as an independent artist in the 1860s and 1870s.

 

Though Kunichika produced some bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful women), historical prints, and journalistic illustrations, his passion lay with the kabuki theater. From sprawling triptychs to okubi-e (large-head portraits) rich in emotion, Kunichika established himself as the leading artist of yakusha-e (actor prints). He immersed himself in the kabuki world, regularly spending time backstage, sketching the actors, socializing with the theatrical figures, and watching the plays. This wealth of personal experience in the theater lent an intimacy to his bold designs. Kunichika's notable students include Chikanobu Yoshu (1838-1912) and Chikashige Morikawa (fl. 1869-1882).

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Artist

  • Aikawa, Minwa (ask Gosentei)
  • Akiyama, Iwao
  • Amano, Kunihiro
  • Arichi, Yoshito
  • Ashiyuki
  • Bairei
  • Bakufu
  • Beato, Felice
  • Beisaku
  • Buncho
  • Bunro
  • Chen, Long
  • Chikanobu
  • Chikashige
  • Chikayoshi
  • Chikuseki
  • Choki
  • Dai, Bin
  • Eiri
  • Eisen
  • Eishi
  • Eisho
  • Eizan
  • Fukita, Fumiaki
  • Fukuda, Heihachiro
  • Fusatane
  • Gakutei
  • Gakyo
  • Gekko
  • Ginko
  • Goto, Michiyoshi
  • Goyo
  • Gyozan
  • Hara, Katsuro
  • Harunobu
  • Hasegawa, Konobu
  • Hashimoto, Okiie
  • Hasui
  • Hidematsu
  • Hidenari
  • Hirokage
  • Hironobu
  • Hirosada
  • Hiroshige
  • Hiroshige & Toyokuni III
  • Hiroshige II
  • Hiroshige III
  • Hoitsu
  • Hokkei
  • Hokuba
  • Hokuei
  • Hokuga
  • Hokusai
  • Hokushu
  • Hokutai
  • Horiyoshi III
  • Hoson
  • Iizuka, Kunio
  • Ikeda, Terukata
  • Ikeda, Zuigetsu
  • Ikegami, Isao
  • Ikuhide
  • Inagaki, Tomoo
  • Inagaki, Toshijiro
  • Inuzuka, Taisui
  • Ishii, Toru
  • Ishimoto, Yasuhiro
  • Ito, Nisaburo
  • Kamei, Tobei (Genbei)
  • Kanpo
  • Katsushika, Isai
  • Keibun
  • Keinen
  • Kikuchi, Yosai
  • Kinoshita, Tomio
  • Kiyochika
  • Kiyohara, Hitoshi
  • Kiyomitsu
  • Kiyomoto II
  • Kiyonaga
  • Kiyoshi
  • Kiyotada IV
  • Kiyotsune
  • Kogyo
  • Koitsu
  • Kokei
  • Koryusai
  • Koson
  • Kotondo
  • Koun
  • Koyama, Avito
  • Kunichika
  • Kunihiro
  • Kunihisa II
  • Kunimori II
  • Kuninao
  • Kunisada
  • Kunisada II (aka Kunimasa III, Toyokuni IV)
  • Kunisada III
  • Kuniteru
  • Kunitoshi
  • Kuniyasu
  • Kuniyoshi
  • Kusakabe, Kimbei
  • Kusama, Yayoi
  • Kyosai
  • Ling, Junwu
  • Mabuchi, Toru
  • Maeda, Morikazu
  • Maekawa, Senpan
  • Magers, Michael
  • Masanobu
  • Masayoshi
  • Mifune, Tsunade
  • Mimura, Seizan
  • Miyagawa, Shuntei
  • Mizufune, Rokushu
  • Morikane
  • Morikuni
  • Moronobu
  • Murakami, Sadao
  • Nagai, Kiyoshi (Hiroyuki Tajima)
  • Nakao, Yoshitaka
  • Nakayama, Shuko
  • Nishigaki, Hayaki
  • Nishikawa, Yoichiro
  • Nishimura, Hodo
  • Nobukazu
  • Ohtsu, Kazuyuki
  • Okumura, Toshinobu
  • Okumura, Koichi
  • Onchi, Koshiro
  • Pissarro, Camille
  • Rakusan (Rakuzan)
  • Ridley, Matthew White
  • Rinsai
  • Sadafusa
  • Sadahide
  • Sadahiro
  • Sadanobu
  • Sadanobu III
  • Saigetsu
  • Sakai, Doitsu
  • Sanmonji, Kazuhiko
  • Sarashina, Syu (Shu)
  • Sawada, Tetsuro
  • Seiko
  • Sekino, Jun'ichiro
  • Sharaku
  • Shi, Yi
  • Shigeharu
  • Shigemasa
  • Shigenobu
  • Shimizu, Seifu
  • Shin'ei
  • Shinsai
  • Shinsui
  • Shiro
  • Shoson
  • Shoun
  • Shuho
  • Shuncho
  • Shundo
  • Shunei
  • Shunjo
  • Shunko
  • Shunman
  • Shunsen
  • Shunsho
  • Shuntei
  • Sori III
  • Chigusa, Soun
  • Sozan
  • Sugakudo
  • Sukenobu
  • Suzuki, Eizin
  • Suzuki, Kinsen
  • Tadakiyo
  • Tadamasa
  • Takahashi, Ushio
  • Murakami, Takashi
  • Takehisa, Yumeji
  • Tamikuni
  • Teisai, Shuri
  • Toshiaki
  • Toshihide
  • Toshikage
  • Toshikata
  • Toshimasa
  • Toshimine
  • Toyohiro
  • Toyokiyo
  • Toyokuni I
  • Toyokuni II (Toyoshige)
  • Toyokuni III
  • Toyonari
  • Tsukimaro
  • Ueda, Fujo
  • Uehara, Konen
  • Ukiyo-e Project (Publisher)
  • Umeno, Takako
  • Unno, Mitsuhiro
  • Ushiku, Kenji
  • Utamaro
  • Utamaro II
  • Van Otterloo, Chris
  • Wada, Sanzo
  • Yamaguchi, Susumu
  • Yamao, Akio
  • Yasuda, Shodo
  • Yoshida, Tsukasa
  • Yoshifuji
  • Yoshihiro
  • Yoshiiku
  • Yoshikage II
  • Yoshikata
  • Yoshikazu
  • Yoshikuni
  • Yoshimitsu
  • Yoshimori
  • Yoshitaki
  • Yoshitora
  • Yoshitoshi
  • Yoshitoyo
  • Yoshitsuna
  • Yoshitsuya
  • Yoshitsuya II
  • Yoshiume
  • Zeshin
  • Araki, Tetsuo
  • Asada, Benji
  • Azechi, Umetaro
  • Baldridge, Cyrus LeRoy
  • Bartlett, Charles
  • Bonnard, Pierre
  • Brayer, Sarah
  • Cassatt, Mary
  • Yoshida, Chizuko
  • Keith, Elizabeth
  • Brown, Everett
  • Fang, Limin
  • Fujita, Fumio
  • Fukase, Masahisa
  • Kitaoka, Fumio
  • Funasaka, Yoshisuke
  • Fukami, Gashu
  • Gu, Zhijun
  • Hack, Vincent
  • Hagiwara, Hideo
  • Hagiwara, Tsuneyoshi
  • Hao, Boyi
  • Hara, Takeshi
  • Hasegawa, Kannosuke (Chikuyo)
  • Hyde, Helen
  • Toulouse-Lautrec, Henri de
  • Kawanishi, Hide
  • Hiratsuka, Yuji
  • Hironaga, Takehiko
  • Horie, Ryoichi
  • Hoshi, Joichi
  • Hosoe, Eikoh
  • Howard, Daryl
  • Ide, Gakusui
  • Ideguchi, Yuki
  • Ido, Masao
  • Ikai, Tadashi
  • Imaizumi, Tadayoshi
  • Ishiwata, Koitsu
  • Ito, Yuhan
  • Iwami, Reika
  • Iwasawa, Asako
  • Jacoulet, Paul
  • Kajita, Hanko
  • Karhu, Clifton
  • Yuasa, Katsutoshi
  • Kawada, Kan
  • Kawada, Kikuji
  • Kawano, Kaoru
  • Kawase, Yoshihito
  • Okamoto, Kazuko
  • Kelly, Daniel
  • Kidokoro, Sho
  • Sasajima, Kihei
  • Kimura, Yoshiharu
  • Kokunimasa (aka Kunimasa V)
  • Konishi, Seiichiro
  • Korn, Marian
  • Kotozuka, Eiichi
  • Kozaki, Kan
  • Inoue, Kozo
  • Kaneko, Kunio
  • Kuroda, Shigeki
  • Li, Yansong
  • Lin, Dunxi
  • Lippens, Josée
  • Liu, Chunhai
  • Lu, Ping
  • Lum, Bertha
  • Ui, Machiko
  • Maki, Haku
  • Manet, Edouard
  • Tanaka, Masaaki
  • Minami, Masahiko
  • Murai, Masanari
  • Miki, Suizan
  • Minagawa, Taizo
  • Miyamoto, Shufu
  • Miyashita, Tokio
  • Mori, Shunkei
  • Mori, Yoshitoshi
  • Moriyama, Daido
  • Oi, Motoi
  • Munakata, Shiko
  • Nagano, Shigeichi
  • Naito, Tadayuki
  • Nakayama, Tadashi
  • Namiki, Hajime
  • Matsubara, Naoko
  • Nishida, Tadashige
  • Nishijima, Katsuyuki
  • Norikane, Hiroto
  • Oda, Kazuma
  • Ogawa, Koichi
  • Ohashi, Shigeyuki
  • Ohba, Masao
  • Okamoto, Yoshimi
  • Okuyama, Gihachiro
  • Okuyama, Gijin
  • Onda, Akio
  • Ono, Tadashige
  • Osanai, Toshikage
  • Osugi, Shoji
  • Ouchi, Makoto
  • Rei, Yuki
  • Rome, Joshua
  • Ronin Gallery Catalogue & Poster
  • Tanaka, Ryohei
  • Saito, Kiyoshi
  • Sakamoto, Koichi
  • Sato, Tokihiro
  • Seiler, Willy
  • Watanabe, Seitei
  • Shi, Ji-hong
  • Shibata, Toshio
  • Shimotakahara, Nobuteru
  • Shinoda, Toko
  • Shinohara, Noriko
  • Shinohara, Ushio
  • Shitanda, Zen
  • Ashikaga, Shizuo
  • Kawarazaki, Shodo
  • Yukawa, Shodo
  • Shotei (aka Hiroaki)
  • Mori, Shuncho
  • Natori, Shunsen
  • Suda, Issei
  • Sudo, Masato
  • Sugiura, Kazutoshi
  • Tajima, Hiroyuki
  • Takahashi, Rikio
  • Takane, Koko
  • Ito, Takashi
  • Takeda, Hideo
  • Takeshita, Kin-u
  • Takeuchi, Keishu
  • Tamai, Cyoko
  • Tamamura, Kozaburo
  • Fujikawa, Tamenobu
  • Tanigami, Konan
  • Teisai, Sencho
  • Terasaki, Kogyo
  • Tissot, James
  • Tokuriki, Tomikichiro
  • Tomihari, Hiroshi
  • Tomioka, Eisen
  • Tomita, Fumio
  • Kamoshita, Tomomi
  • Tsurusawa, Kieko
  • Ueda, Yoshihiko
  • Unsigned / Unknown Artist
  • Ito, Wako
  • Wang, Weiqi
  • Watanabe, Sadao
  • Whistler, James McNeil
  • Williams, Brian
  • Wu, Yin
  • Wu, Zuoren
  • Yamaguchi, Keisuke (OZ)
  • Yamanaka, Kodo
  • Yamazaki, Hiroshi
  • Yayanagi, Go
  • Yeh, Fang
  • Yoshida, Hiroshi
  • Yoshida, Masaji
  • Yoshida, Toshi
  • Yuasa, Hiroshi
  • Nishimoto, Yuki
  • Katsuda, Yukio
  • Yushin, Ayaoka
  • Zhang, Yuanfeng

Subject

  • Actors & Theater
  • Animals & Fish
  • Beauties (bijin-ga)
  • Calligraphy
  • Children
  • Flowers & Gardens
  • Ghosts & Demons (yokai)
  • Legends & History
  • Moon & Night
  • Music & Dance
  • Portraits
  • Spring
  • Tattoo
  • Warriors & Samurai
  • Winter
  • Yokohama-e & Nagasaki-e

Period

  • 1800 - 1868 (Edo)
  • 1868 - 1912 (Meiji)

Medium

  • Woodblock Print

Size

  • Small (ie. Chuban)
  • Medium (ie. Oban)
  • Large (ie. Triptych)

73 Products

Filtered By: Kunichika
Kabuki Actor Sawamura Tannosuke as the Beauty Ojitsu

Kunichika

Kabuki Actor Sawamura Tannosuke as the Beauty Ojitsu

JP-209941

SOLD

Emperor Antoku with Two Noblemen

Kunichika

Emperor Antoku with Two Noblemen

JP-209932

SOLD

Onoe Kikugoro as Captain Matsuzaki

Kunichika

Onoe Kikugoro as Captain Matsuzaki

JP110818

SOLD

Modoribashi: Actor Ichikawa Sadanji as Watanabe no Tsuna and Onoe Kikugoro Disguised Demon

Kunichika

Modoribashi: Actor Ichikawa Sadanji as Watanabe no Tsuna and Onoe Kikugoro Disguised Demon

JP110837

$780.00
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Machiai ("Waiting room" or geisha restaurant), Kiraku at Nihonbashi, and Mitate Fabric Pattern

Kunichika

Machiai ("Waiting room" or geisha restaurant), Kiraku at Nihonbashi, and Mitate Fabric Pattern

JP-209931

$220.00
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Barber: Kabuki Actor Sawamura Tossho II as Misao, the Wife of Takechi Mitsuhide

Kunichika

Barber: Kabuki Actor Sawamura Tossho II as Misao, the Wife of Takechi Mitsuhide

JP-209942

SOLD

Kabuki Actor Ichikawa Sadanji I as Konoha no Minezo

Kunichika

Kabuki Actor Ichikawa Sadanji I as Konoha no Minezo

JP-209940

SOLD

Kabuki Actors Nakamura Sensho as Sodehagi and Kawarasaki Sakimatsu as Her Daughter

Kunichika

Kabuki Actors Nakamura Sensho as Sodehagi and Kawarasaki Sakimatsu as Her Daughter

JP-209938

SOLD

Hyakushaku Restaurant, Yoshi-cho

Kunichika

Hyakushaku Restaurant, Yoshi-cho

JP-209937

SOLD

Geisha from the Hiramatsu Restaurant in Nihonbashi

Kunichika

Geisha from the Hiramatsu Restaurant in Nihonbashi

JP-209936

SOLD

A Master Text of Popular Songs, No. 4

Kunichika

A Master Text of Popular Songs, No. 4

JP-209935

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Kabuki Actor Ichimura Kakitsu IV in the Play Yagura Daiko Oto mo Yoshiwara

Kunichika

Kabuki Actor Ichimura Kakitsu IV in the Play Yagura Daiko Oto mo Yoshiwara

JP-209934

$140.00
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Kabuki Actor Ichikawa Danjuro as Shibata Katsuie

Kunichika

Kabuki Actor Ichikawa Danjuro as Shibata Katsuie

JP-209943

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Kabuki Actor Ichimura Uzaemon XIII as Jiraiya

Kunichika

Kabuki Actor Ichimura Uzaemon XIII as Jiraiya

JP-209939

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Kabuki Actor Iwai Kumesaburo III

Kunichika

Kabuki Actor Iwai Kumesaburo III

JP-209933

$100.00
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Kabuki Actor Ichikawa Kuzo II

Kunichika

Kabuki Actor Ichikawa Kuzo II

JPR-209731

$300.00
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Kabuki Actors Sawamura Tanosuke III and Sawamura Tossho II

Kunichika

Kabuki Actors Sawamura Tanosuke III and Sawamura Tossho II

JPR-209726

$460.00
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Kabuki Actor Ichimura Kakitsu IV

Kunichika

Kabuki Actor Ichimura Kakitsu IV

JPR-209724

$360.00
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Kabuki Actor Bando Hikosaburo V

Kunichika

Kabuki Actor Bando Hikosaburo V

JPR-209723

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Kabuki Actor Nakamura Shikan IV as Shindo Kojiro

Kunichika

Kabuki Actor Nakamura Shikan IV as Shindo Kojiro

JPR-209722

$450.00
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Kabuki Actors Ichimura Kakitsu IV (R), Bando Hikosaburo V (C), and Kawarasaki Gonjuro I (L) in the Play Arishi Sugata Yume ni Mizuumi

Kunichika

Kabuki Actors Ichimura Kakitsu IV (R), Bando Hikosaburo V (C), and Kawarasaki Gonjuro I (L) in the Play Arishi Sugata Yume ni Mizuumi

JPR-209715

$920.00
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Kabuki Actor Ichimura Kakitsu IV

Kunichika

Kabuki Actor Ichimura Kakitsu IV

JPR-209714

$290.00
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Kabuki Actors Ichimura Kakitsu IV as Kusunoki Koma-hime (R) and Bando Hikosaburo V as Korokumaru (L) in the Play Shobu-dachi Tsui no Kyokaku

Kunichika

Kabuki Actors Ichimura Kakitsu IV as Kusunoki Koma-hime (R) and Bando Hikosaburo V as Korokumaru (L) in the Play Shobu-dachi Tsui no Kyokaku

JPR-209713

$620.00
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Kabuki Actors Kawarasaki Gonjuro I, Sawamura Tanosuke III, and Ichimura Uzaemon XIII

Kunichika

Kabuki Actors Kawarasaki Gonjuro I, Sawamura Tanosuke III, and Ichimura Uzaemon XIII

JPR-209712

$920.00
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