Kunihiro (fl.1816 - 1841 )
A member of the Utagawa school, Kunihiro worked for many years in Osaka, steadily presenting quality designs throughout his active period. His yakusha-e (actor prints) tend towards representation of the popular actors Nakamura Utaemon III and Arashi Kichisaburo II. During the mid-1820s Kunihiro took Shigeharu as a pupil. The two continued to collaborate even as Shigeharu became a prolific and popular artist in his own right.
Though he initially worked with variety of publishers including Wataki (1816), Honsei (1816), and Hirooka (1817), Kunihiro found a career-long connection with Tenki. A novel of the time describes Kunihiro as “Tenmaya Kunihiro,” as if suggesting that Kunihiro himself was a proprietor at the publishing house. The artist worked with Tenki exclusively until 1823, after which point he occasionally produced compositions for Honsei as well.
Ukiyo-e | Japanese Woodblock Prints | Ronin Gallery
Explore the largest collection of 17th-19th century original Japanese woodblock prints in the United States at Ronin Gallery. Ukiyo-e, or “pictures of the floating world,” captured the exciting urban popular culture of the Edo period (1603-1868), promoting its beauty, fashions and heroes. While the Buddhist term ukiyo originally emphasized the transitory nature of human life, during the 17th century the term gradually shifted its reference to the ephemeral world of pleasure and indulgence. From 17th century Buddhist woodcuts through 19th century Japanese ukiyo-e print masters, enter a vibrant world of enchanting landscapes and sublime nature studies by Hokusai and Hiroshige, dramatic kabuki actors by Sharaku and Toyokuni, fierce samurai by Kuniyoshi, and elegant beauties by Utamaro. With the ravages of time, war and fire, today few of these precious original Japanese woodblock prints survive outside of museums and important private collections.
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Kunihiro
Kabuki Actor Arashi Rikan as Miyamoto Musashi in Snow
JPR1-66144