Utagawa Kunisada 1786 – 12 January 1865), also known as Utagawa Toyokuni III, was the most popular, prolific and commercially 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.
He was a very prolific, successful and at his time highly appreciated leading designer of ukiyo-e (Japanese woodblock prints). He was born near Edo as the son of an affluent merchant with a ferry boat license. At the age of 15 Kunisada joined the famous art school of
Utagawa Toyokuni and took the artist name Kunisada.
In 1807 Kunisada Utagawa produced his first illustrated book. And in 1808 his first actor prints were published. His fame grew fast. While other artists like
Kuniyoshi Utagawa or
Hiroshige had to fight for recognition for years, he was successful from the beginning. He should become the most commercially successful of all woodblock printmakers ever. His early success may not have had a good influence on his personality. He had a reputation for his conceited personality.
