Shunsen (1762 - 1830 )
Both an ukiyo-e designer and an illustrator, Shunsen began his career using the name Shunrin. First the student Tsutsumi Torin III, Shunsen soon became the pupil of Katsukawa Shun'ei and adopted the name Katsukawa. It was not until 1806 that he began signing his work Shunsen. He is recognized for his elegant bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful women), landscapes and genre scenes. Shunsen ended his printmaking career in 1823 and pursued porcelain decoration as Shunko II.
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.