Kuniyoshi Utagawa

Kuniyoshi Utagawa (1797-1861) was born to a silk dyer in Edo (Tokyo). At a young age, Utagawa showed remarkable talent for drawing, and at the age of 14, he was accepted to study woodblock printing under Toyokuni Utagawa and eventually became one of his most successful students. In 1814, he left Toyokuni's studio to pursue a career as an independent ukiyo-e artist. With little success initially, he supported himself by selling tatami mats. In 1827, his dramatic series 108 Heroes of the Suikoden changed his fortune. And from that point forward, the public demanded his portrayals of famous samurai and legendary heroes. Kuniyoshi Utagawa worked across all genres, producing brilliant landscapes and charming bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful women). Kuniyoshi's Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints were so popular that he received requests for tattoo designs.