Utagawa Toyokuni - Utagawa Toyokuni

A late Edo period ukiyo-e artist. A senior disciple of Utagawa Toyoharu. Born as the son of Kurahashi Gorobei, a puppeteer in front of Shiba Shinmei, he was given the childhood name Kumakichi, later Kumaemon. He loved painting from an early age and became a disciple of Toyoharu, but the exact time is unclear. His first work is said to be an illustration for the yellow-covered "Tsugamonai Hanashi no Oyadama" by Manzōtei, published in 1786 (Tenmei 6), but there is some question about the publication year, and the oldest confirmed work is "Kuharaku no Motojime," published two years later. Thus, the recent consensus is that his debut into the art world was around 1787 or 1788. After his debut, he went through a period of several years where his name did not become known, and he drew illustrations for yellow-covered books and the like, but from his mid-20s he began publishing his work through Izumiya Ichibei, a large store in front of Kanda Myojin Shrine, and gradually became known. In particular, he was recognized as a popular artist with his actor painting series Yakushabutai no Sugatae, which he began publishing in 1794 (Kansei 6). Although his style was influenced by Katsukawa Shunkō and Shun'ei, perhaps because he was only 26 years old, he had a unique freshness to his work, and it is a memorable work in that it shows the establishment of Toyokuni's style of painting. After that, the period up until around the Kyowa era (1801-1804) is considered to be the peak of his artistic career, and many excellent works can be found, not only in actor paintings but also in portraits of beautiful women. From the Bunka era (1804-1818) onwards, he was inundated with orders and produced a promiscuous output, but his popularity did not wane, and he had over 40 pupils, making him the most influential member of the Utagawa school. Among his pupils came famous artists such as Kuniyoshi, Toyoshige (Toyokuni II), Kunisada (Kunisada III) and Kunimasa (Kunimasa IV), and the Toyokuni school played a leading role in the ukiyo-e world at the end of the Edo period. He died on January 7, 1825.

Among his representative works are the printed book "Yakusha Gakuya Tsuu" published in 1799 and "Actor's Mirror" published in 1804 (Kyowa 4), and among his nishiki-e (colored woodblock prints), he is known for his series of portraits of beautiful women such as "Furyu Nanakomachi Yatsushi Sugatae," "Furyu Sanpukutai," and "Imayo Bijin Go." In addition to "Actor Stage Portraits," he also has many excellent paintings of large heads of actors.

[Nagata Seiji]

"Suzuki Juzo (ed.) Ukiyo-e Taikei 9 Toyokuni" (1976, Shueisha)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸後期の浮世絵師。歌川豊春の高弟。芝神明前の人形師、倉橋五郎兵衛の子として生まれ、幼名を熊吉(くまきち)、のち熊右衛門(くまえもん)といった。幼時から絵を好み豊春に入門したが、その時期についてはつまびらかではない。初作とされるのは1786年（天明6）に刊行された万象亭(まんぞうてい)作の黄表紙『無束話親玉(つがもないはなしのおやだま)』の挿絵といわれているが、刊行年に問題があり、翌々年刊行の『苦者楽元〆(くはらくのもとじめ)』が確認できるもっとも古い作品とされる。このように画壇へのデビューを1787、1788年ごろとみるのが最近での一致した見解である。デビュー後、何年かは画名のあがらない時期があり、黄表紙などの挿絵を描いていたが、20代なかばごろより神田明神前の大店、和泉屋(いずみや)市兵衛から作品を発表するようになって、しだいに知られるようになった。とくに、1794年（寛政6）から発表し始めた役者絵のシリーズ『役者舞台之姿絵(やくしゃぶたいのすがたえ)』により一躍人気絵師として認められるようになる。その画風は勝川春好(しゅんこう)や春英(しゅんえい)などに影響されながらも、26歳という若さからか独特な新鮮さをもっており、豊国画の確立をみせている点からも記念すべき作といえる。その後、享和(きょうわ)年間（1801～1804）ごろまでは芸術的絶頂期とみられ、役者絵はもとより、美人画にも多くの優品をみいだすことができる。文化(ぶんか)年間（1804～1818）以降は、殺到する注文に応じ、乱作に陥ったが、人気は依然衰えず、門人の数も40名以上を数え、歌川派中最大の勢力を形成した。多くの門人のなかからは国芳(くによし)、豊重(とよしげ)（2世豊国）、国貞(くにさだ)（3世）、国政(くにまさ)（4世）などの著名絵師が輩出して、豊国一門は幕末の浮世絵界に指導的な役割を果たした。文政(ぶんせい)8年1月7日没。

　代表作とされるものには、版本では1799年刊行の『俳優楽室通(やくしゃがくやつう)』、1804年（享和4）刊行の『役者相貌鏡(あわせかがみ)』などがあり、錦絵(にしきえ)では美人画に『風流七小町略姿絵(ふうりゅうななこまちやつしすがたえ)』『風流三幅対』『今様美人合』などのシリーズが知られ、役者絵は『役者舞台之姿絵』のほか大首絵(おおくびえ)に優品が多い。

［永田生慈］

『鈴木重三編『浮世絵大系9　豊国』（1976・集英社）』

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