Memorial portrait of Utagawa Hiroshige
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
35.6 × 24.5 cm (14 × 9 5/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
24920
Art Historical Context
This memorial portrait, created by Utagawa Kunisada I (also known as Toyokuni III) in 1858, honors the celebrated ukiyo-e artist Utagawa Hiroshige shortly after his death. Rendered as a color woodblock print in the standard oban format, the work captures Hiroshige’s likeness with the refined line work and expressive detail characteristic of the Utagawa school. Such memorial portraits served as tributes within Japan’s vibrant print culture, blending personal remembrance with the public appreciation of an artist’s legacy. Woodblock printing, the dominant medium for ukiyo-e during the Edo period...
About the Artist
Utagawa Kunisada I (Toyokuni III) · 1786–1864
Utagawa Kunisada I, also known as Toyokuni III (1786–1865), was born Sumida Shōgorō in the Honjo district of Edo (modern Tokyo) into a family that operated a hereditary ferry-boat service, providing stability after his father's early death. Displaying prodigious talent in drawing from childhood, he became an apprentice to the master Utagawa Toyokuni I around 1801 at age fifteen, entering the prest...