Katsukawa Shun'ei

Japanese: 勝川春英 - かつかわ・しゅんえい

Year of death: October 26, 1819 (December 13, 1819)
Year of birth: 1762
An ukiyo-e artist from the mid- to late Edo period. His common name was Isoda Kyujiro, and he lived in Shin-Izumi-cho, Edo. His other name was Kutokusai. He was a student of Katsukawa Shunsho, and is said to have made his debut with his first work in 1778. In the Tenmei period (1781-1789), he followed in the footsteps of Shunsho and Katsukawa Shunko, and actively produced thin-format portraits of actors. From 1790, he took over the large-headed actor painting style pioneered by Shunko, and together with rival artists such as Toshusai Sharaku and Utagawa Toyokuni, he created the heyday of actor paintings. During this time, he also produced a few excellent works of nishiki-e (colorful prints of beautiful women). Around 1796, his production of actor paintings suddenly decreased dramatically, and it is believed that he produced prints of warrior and sumo wrestlers, or hand-painted paintings, instead, until his later years.

(Masato Naito)

Source: Asahi Japanese Historical Biography: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. About Asahi Japanese Historical Biography

Japanese:

没年：文政2.10.26(1819.12.13)
生年：宝暦12(1762)
江戸中・後期の浮世絵師。俗称磯田久次郎,居所は江戸新和泉町。別号に九徳斎がある。勝川春章の門人で,安永7(1778)年に初作でデビューを飾ったとされる。天明期(1781～89)にはいると春章,勝川春好のあとを追って盛んに細判の役者似顔絵を描き,さらに寛政2(1790)年からは,春好の創始した役者大首絵を継承して,東洲斎写楽,歌川豊国らライバル絵師たちと共に役者絵の全盛時代をつくりあげた。なお,この間わずかながら美人錦絵にも優品を残している。寛政9年ごろからは突如として役者絵が激減し,以降晩年までこれに代わって武者絵や相撲絵の版画,あるいは肉筆画などを描いたものと考えられている。

(内藤正人)

出典　朝日日本歴史人物事典：（株）朝日新聞出版朝日日本歴史人物事典について　情報

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