NAME: Kunisada was born as Tsunoda Shōgorō IX (角田庄五朗), called Tsunoda Shōzō (角田庄蔵)
BORN: 1786
PLACE: Honjo district of Edo
DIED: January 1865
SCHOOL: He entered the school of Utagawa Toyokuni I (1769-1825), the leading actor-print designer of his time, around 1800 as apprentice at the age of fourteen. His first printed works began to appear in early 1807 and he was awarded the last character of his master´s name to form his own. So he choose the name Kunisada
A comprehensive resource on Kunisada's Signatures and Seals
Kunisada was the most popular, prolific and financially successful designer of ukiyo-e woodblock prints in 19th-century Japan. In his own time, his reputation far exceeded that of his contemporaries, Hokusai, Hiroshige and Kuniyoshi.
The memorial portrait above was designed by his principal student, Kunisada II, and is one of the few known images of Kunisada.
The majority of Kunisada's work was of actors portrayed in current popular plays; most of the rest was of women in the latest fashion. He was no less productive in the area of ehon than he was in full-sized prints, and notable among his book prints are shunga pictures (for example Zodiac Series Sho Utsushi Aioi Genji), which appeared in numerous books. Due to censorship, they are signed only on the title page with his alias "Matahei".
An excellent Kunisada resource can be found here.
Examples of the artists work;
Title:
Mijimai Geisha
Series Title:
Comparison of Beauties
Title: Ryogoku no bansho - Evening glow at Ryogoku bridge
Series Title: "Three of the `Eight Views´" (in Edo)
Sumo Wrestlers from right: Ōnomatsu, and Kuroiwa
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunisada
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