Yoshitoshi (1839 - 1892 )

Considered one of the last great masters of ukiyo-e, Yoshitoshi Tsukioka's woodblock prints are known for their eerie and imaginative nature. Yoshitoshi worked in a Japan undergoing rapid change, straddling the domains of the old, feudal system of the Edo period and the new, modern world of the Meiji period. His powerful imagination and originality imbued his prints with a sensitivity and honesty rarely seen in ukiyo-e of this time period. From ghost stories to folktales, violent clashes to the gentle glow of the moon, Yoshitoshi offers not only compositional and technical brilliance, but also unfettered passion.

Yoshitoshi was born in Edo on April 30th, 1839. As a young boy, he showed remarkable artistic talent and fierce interest in classical Japanese literature and history. He began to study under the renowned Kuniyoshi at the age of 11. Kuniyoshi, a leading woodblock print artist of the day, developed a close relationship with his pupil and gave him the name Yoshitoshi. Yoshitoshi Tsukioka published his first print to modest success in 1853, a triptych of a famous clash between the Taira and Minamoto clans. That same year, Commodore Perry's "black ships" docked in Edo Bay.

In the early 1860s, Yoshitoshi's prints focused on kabuki subjects and historical scenes, as well as foreigners. As the 19th century progressed, ukiyo-e felt the influence of the modern era, particularly through the introduction of synthetic dyes. Yoshitoshi learned to use these colors with subtlety and skill, holding his works to the highest printing standards throughout his career. Following Kuniyoshi's death in 1861, Yoshitoshi struggled as he set off on his own, taking Toshikage as his first student in 1863. As political instability grew in Japan during the late 1860s, he entered his "bloody period," an era marked by images of graphic violence and extravagant brutality.

As Meiji-period modernization pushed ahead, Yoshitoshi Tsukioka suffered a nervous breakdown in 1872, living in poverty and ceasing all artistic production. A year later, he resumed work; adopting the artist name Taiso, meaning "Great Resurrection," and fulfilling his creative potential. While Yoshitoshi continued to present battle scenes on his ukiyo-e woodblock prints, he turned his attention to more recent incidents and slowly shifted from overt violence to the psychological struggles of individuals. In 1885, he began one of his most acclaimed series, One Hundred Views of the Moon (1885-1892). During the last decade of his life, Yoshitoshi designed numerous illustrated books and several other popular series including Thirty-two Aspects of Women (1888) and Thirty-six Ghosts and Strange Apparitions. (1889-1892). In the spring of 1892, he suffered his final mental breakdown and was committed to the Sugamo Asylum. On the 9th of June 1892, he died of a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 53.

Meiji Period Prints (1868-1912)

Meiji-period woodblock prints reflect an era of change. In 1853, the arrival of Commodore Perry’s black ships brought over 250 years of Japanese isolation to an abrupt end. The following year, as Japan engaged in international trade, Yokohama-e (Yokohama pictures) captured an influx of unfamiliar peoples, places and things entering Japan through Yokohama harbor. By 1868, the Imperial line attained control of the country under Emperor Meiji, terminating the feudal rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate and dissipating the culture of the floating world. Under the emperor, national modernization progressed rapidly. From Western-style clothes and pastimes, to exciting new inventions from overseas, Japan absorbed the massive influx of the foreign and developed a distinctly Japanese modern identity. While photography and lithography gained popularity at this time, the woodblock print continued to serve as a powerful medium. Meiji period artists made sense of a transitioning world with a familiar medium.

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  • Archive

Price

3200060

Artist

  • Bairei
  • Beisaku
  • Biho
  • Chikanobu
  • Chikuseki
  • Eizan
  • Gakutei
  • Gekko
  • Ginko
  • Hiroshige
  • Hiroshige II
  • Hiroshige III
  • Hoitsu
  • Hokkei
  • Hokusai
  • Ikeda, Terukata
  • Ikuhide
  • Keinen
  • Kiyochika
  • Kogyo
  • Koson
  • Koun
  • Kunichika
  • Kunisada
  • Kunisada III
  • Kuniteru
  • Kunitoshi
  • Kuniyoshi
  • Kyosai
  • Miyagawa, Shuntei
  • Nobukazu
  • Rinsai
  • Sadahide
  • Sadanobu
  • Saigetsu
  • Seiko
  • Shimizu, Seifu
  • Shinsai
  • Sugakudo
  • Suzuki, Kinsen
  • Tadakiyo
  • Toshiaki
  • Toshihide
  • Toshikage
  • Toshikata
  • Toshimasa
  • Toshimine
  • Toyohiro
  • Yasuda, Shodo
  • Yoshifuji
  • Yoshiiku
  • Yoshikage II
  • Yoshimitsu
  • Yoshimori
  • Yoshitora
  • Yoshitoshi
  • Yoshitsuya II
  • Zeshin
  • Hasegawa, Kannosuke (Chikuyo)
  • Kaburagi, Kiyokata
  • Kajita, Hanko
  • Kokunimasa (aka Kunimasa V)
  • Mori, Shunkei
  • Watanabe, Seitei
  • Yukawa, Shodo
  • Mishima, Shoso
  • Suzuki, Kason
  • Takeuchi, Keishu
  • Fujikawa, Tamenobu
  • Tanigami, Konan
  • Terasaki, Kogyo
  • Tomioka, Eisen
  • Unsigned / Unknown Artist
  • Yamanaka, Kodo
  • Yushin, Ayaoka

Series

  • 100 Views of Mt. Fuji
  • 100 Views of the Moon
  • 32 Aspects of Women
  • 36 Ghosts and Strange Apparitions
  • Biographies of Modern Heroes
  • Sketches by Yoshitoshi
  • Yoshitoshi's Courageous Warriors

Subject

  • Actors & Theater
  • Animals & Fish
  • Architectural
  • Autumn
  • Beauties (bijin-ga)
  • Birds
  • Bridges
  • Calligraphy
  • Cats & Dogs
  • Children
  • Comic
  • Flowers & Gardens
  • Ghosts & Demons (yokai)
  • Insects
  • Landscapes
  • Legends & History
  • Moon & Night
  • Mt. Fuji
  • Music & Dance
  • Pastimes
  • Poets & Scholars
  • Portraits
  • Rain
  • Rituals & Beliefs
  • Shunga
  • Spring
  • Summer
  • Sumo
  • Tattoo
  • Warriors & Samurai
  • Waterfalls and Rapids
  • Waterscapes
  • Winter

Period

  • 1800 - 1868 (Edo)
  • 1868 - 1912 (Meiji)
  • 1912 - 1945 (Taisho & Early Showa)

Medium

  • Woodblock Print

Size

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

388 Products

Filtered By: Yoshitoshi
Kiyomori Sees Hundreds of Skulls at Fukuhara

Yoshitoshi

Kiyomori Sees Hundreds of Skulls at Fukuhara

JPR-111496

SOLD

Fujiwara no Sanetaka's Obsession with the Sparrows

Yoshitoshi

Fujiwara no Sanetaka's Obsession with the Sparrows

JPR-111472

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Onogawa Kisaburo

Yoshitoshi

Onogawa Kisaburo

JPR-208808

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Gongsun Shen, the Dragon in the Clouds

Yoshitoshi

Gongsun Shen, the Dragon in the Clouds

JPR-208807

$4,800.00
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Guardian God and Rochishin

Yoshitoshi

Guardian God and Rochishin

JP-104229

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Kirishima Matsugoro

Yoshitoshi

Kirishima Matsugoro

JPR-208644

$500.00
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The Story of the Monk Ikkyu and Courtesan Jigoku-dayu

Yoshitoshi

The Story of the Monk Ikkyu and Courtesan Jigoku-dayu

JPR-208627

SOLD

The Ghost of Seigen Haunting Sakurahime

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The Ghost of Seigen Haunting Sakurahime

JPR-111490

SOLD

Shoki Capturing a Demon in a Dream

Yoshitoshi

Shoki Capturing a Demon in a Dream

JPR-111498

SOLD

Priest Raigo of Mii TempleTransformed by Wicked Thoughts into a Rat

Yoshitoshi

Priest Raigo of Mii TempleTransformed by Wicked Thoughts into a Rat

JPR-111480

SOLD

Feeling Chilly: Concubine of the Bunka Era

Yoshitoshi

Feeling Chilly: Concubine of the Bunka Era

JPR-111872

SOLD

The Moon at Saga

Yoshitoshi

The Moon at Saga

JPR-109568

SOLD

Kazamado Hanji

Yoshitoshi

Kazamado Hanji

JPR-111844

$850.00
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A Poem by Takao

Yoshitoshi

A Poem by Takao

JPR-77664

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Tametomo's Ferocity Drives Away the Smallpox Demons

Yoshitoshi

Tametomo's Ferocity Drives Away the Smallpox Demons

JPR-111482

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Fujiwara no Yasumasa Plays the Flute by Moonlight

Yoshitoshi

Fujiwara no Yasumasa Plays the Flute by Moonlight

JPR-208563

SOLD

Life of Yoshitsune: The Fight on Gojo Bridge with Benkei

Yoshitoshi

Life of Yoshitsune: The Fight on Gojo Bridge with Benkei

JPR-208441

SOLD

Strolling: An Upper Class Wife of the Meiji Era

Yoshitoshi

Strolling: An Upper Class Wife of the Meiji Era

JPR-208427

$2,800.00
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Received Back into the Moon Palace: Bamboo Cutter

Yoshitoshi

Received Back into the Moon Palace: Bamboo Cutter

JP1-46968

$1,200.00
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Feeling Chilly: A Concubine of the Bunka Era

Yoshitoshi

Feeling Chilly: A Concubine of the Bunka Era

JPR-109490

SOLD

Moon on Hazy Night: Kumasaka

Yoshitoshi

Moon on Hazy Night: Kumasaka

JP2111

SOLD

The Moon and the Helm of the Boat

Yoshitoshi

The Moon and the Helm of the Boat

JP1-46978

SOLD

The Disagreeable Type: Young Woman of Nagoya in the Ansei Era

Yoshitoshi

The Disagreeable Type: Young Woman of Nagoya in the Ansei Era

JPR-208428

SOLD

Shujaku Gate Moon: Hakuga Sanmi

Yoshitoshi

Shujaku Gate Moon: Hakuga Sanmi

JPR-104389

SOLD