Kokunimasa (aka Kunimasa V) (1874 - 1944 )

Kokunimasa Utagawa (aka Kunimasa V) was a prolific artist who worked across the Meiji, Taisho and Showa periods. Born in 1874 to the artist Hosai Baido (or Kunimasa IV), Kokunimasa worked in the Utagawa style, carrying the long line of Utagawa printmakers well into the 20th century. As the role of the woodblock print changed in Japan, Kokunimasa adapted to popular demand. He produced senso-e, or “war prints,” during both the Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895) and the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905), as well as genre scenes, actor prints and more, often depicted in the triptych format. Though the 20th century brought new print movements, Kokunimasa remained true to aesthetic language of ukiyo-e. He also used the go, or "artist names," Baido and Ryukei.

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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780620

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
  • Shimazaki, Ryuu
  • Shimizu, Seifu
  • Shinsai
  • Sugakudo
  • Suzuki, Kinsen
  • Tadakiyo
  • Takehisa, Yumeji
  • 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

Subject

  • Beauties (bijin-ga)
  • Children
  • Warriors & Samurai
  • Waterscapes

Period

  • 1868 - 1912 (Meiji)

Medium

  • Woodblock Print

Size

  • Large (ie. Triptych)

2 Products

Azuma Genji: Baby's First Shrine Visit

Kokunimasa (aka Kunimasa V)

Azuma Genji: Baby's First Shrine Visit

JPR-97269

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Great Victory of the Imperial Navy at the Great Pitched Battle off Takushan

Kokunimasa (aka Kunimasa V)

Great Victory of the Imperial Navy at the Great Pitched Battle off Takushan

JP-96268

$780.00
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