1846 (Koka 3)／Color woodblock print on paper (triptych)
37.2 x 25.5 cm, 37.0 x 25.4 cm, 37.3 x 25.1 cm
From Edo to Modern Times: The Ukiyo-e Collection of the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum
Exhibition period：Saturday March 29～Sunday May 25, 2025
Soka Art Museum (Kaohsiung, Taiwan)
SUMMARY
The Tenpo Reforms hit the ukiyo-e world hard, banning pictures of actors and anything related to prostitution. However, Kuniyoshi dodged these regulations by drawing actors and prostitutes as animals, creating a world brimming with humor. The subject of this piece is the bustle of Yoshiwara (a red-light district) beyond its latticework. At the end of 1845, Yoshiwara was struck by fire, forcing business to relocate and operate from temporary dwellings outside the district. Such is the scene Kuniyoshi had taken up in this piece, but for the reasons mentioned before, depicted everyone in the form of a sparrow.
ARTIST
Utagawa Kuniyoshi
1797-1861
Attracted the attention of Utagawa Toyokuni I with his drawing of Zhong Kui (Shoki) at age twelve, and soon became a disciple of Toyokuni’s. He fell on hard times in his 20s, but at 31 published One hundred and eight heroes of the popular Suikoden. This gained him popularity, and he came to be called “Warrior Print Kuniyoshi”. He did everything well, from actors and beautiful women to landscapes, but in particular, his triptych panoramas of warriors or historical scenes as well as his witty caricatures snatched the hearts of the general public. He gathered many excellent pupils with his natural leadership, including Ochiai Yoshiiku, Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, and Kawanabe Kyosai.
List of artworks by the same artist
INFORMATION
Saturday, March 29 - Sunday, May 25, 2025
From Edo to Modern Times: The Ukiyo-e Collection of the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum Soka Art Museum (Kaohsiung, Taiwan)
Friday, October 8 - Sunday, November 14, 2021
From the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum Collection: “THIS IS JAPAN” Eternal Japanese Art Oita Art Museum (Oita, Japan)
Saturday, November 2 - Sunday, December 22, 2019
“Rendez-vous” through Arts―East Meets West― Kuboso Memorial Museum of Arts, Izumi (Osaka, Japan)
Sunday, August 25 - Sunday, September 29, 2019
This Is Japan In Kyoto From The Tokyo Fuji Art Museum Collection The Museum of Kyoto (Kyoto, Japan)
Saturday, March 24 - Sunday, May 27, 2018
OEDO EXHIBITION NAGASAKI Nagasaki Prefectual Art Museum (Nagasaki, Japan)
Saturday, June 4 - Sunday, July 31, 2016
The Art of Ukiyo-e: Selected Works from Tokyo Fuji Art Museum Collection National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts (Taichung, Taiwan)
EXPLORE
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