This sumptuously produced monograph showcases the work of Utagawa Kuniyoshi, one of the last great Japanese masters of ukiyo-e prints, illustrations, and paintings. Best known for his depictions of fierce samurai warriors in battle, Utagawa Kuniyoshi also produced landscapes, portraits of Kabuki actors, and images of mythical animals. His dynamic action scenes and fantastic creatures are recognized today as precursors of manga and anime. This dazzling volume by Matthi Forrer, one of the leading experts on ukiyo-e art, traces Kuniyoshi's entire career. Chapters look at the major aspects of Kuniyoshi's oeuvre; his book illustrations and portraits of fashionable women; his enormously popular series featuring actors, warriors, and landscapes; and the influence of Western art on his career. Meticulous, large-scale reproductions highlight the work's clear outlines, elegantly muted palette, and precise details--from electrifying depictions of a tiger, mid-pounce, and light-hearted interpretations of Chinese folktales, to the terrifying figures of samurai swordsmen and romantic winter landscapes. A Japanese-style binding and box complete this luxurious package that promises an endlessly absorbing journey into the life of Kuniyoshi during the latter days of Japan's Edo period.

Recognized as one of the most interesting and vibrant artists from the Edo period, Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861) is a major exponent of ukiyo-e in the early 1800s and trained under the master Utagawa Toyokuni. His fame is tied to the series of polychrome xylographs that illustrate the 108 heroes from the novel Suikoden (Brigands) , which became a bestseller in China and Japan in the late 1700s, promoting the imagery of a band of brigands who defend the people suppressed by injustice and government corruption. Violent, powerful, armed people with muscular bodies covered in tattoos that today inspire manga , anime , tattoo artists and illustrators across the world. Kuniyoshi affirmed the genre of warrior prints, but he was also interested in portraits of female beauties, kabuki actors, landscapes, children and ghosts, another greatly admired genre in Japan. Nonetheless, his name is above all associated with illusion, with shadows and Arcimboldo-like composite figures, figures within figures and parodies of stories and battles with animals, objects, sweets, food. His images are fantastical, baroque, rich in colour, of great detail, with imposing characters and dynamic actions. A versatile and intriguing figure for the variety of subjects, from female beauties and monsters to animals and heroes, and for the impressive technique that gave life to a school carried forth for generations.

Kuniyoshi was a master of the warrior woodblock print — and these 18th-century illustrations represent the pinnacle of his craft. Full-color portraits of renowned Japanese samurais pulse with movement, passion, and remarkably fine detail.

Originally published in 1852 and 1853, The Sixty-nine Stations of the Kisokaid? is a richly entertaining series of woodblock prints created by master artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi (Japanese, 1797-1861). The seventy-two finely executed prints include one for each resting point along the well-traveled Kisokaid? (Kiso Road)-a historic route stretching from Edo (modern Tokyo) to Kyoto-plus views of the two endpoint cities and an additional series title page. Kuniyoshi never traveled the mountainous Kisokaid?, but he drew from historic events, kabuki plays, popular legends, and classical literature to illustrate his vision of the towns and stations along the road. This stunning collection of colorful ukiyo-e prints exhibits Kuniyoshi's artistic mastery and clever sense of humor. Each work incorporates three elements: the main picture, an inset landscape depicting the particular station, and a title block. Using parody and pun (both for humor and to avoid government censorship), Kuniyoshi associated each point on the route with one of the most beloved stories of his day-from a reimagined Odyssey to the Japanese fairy tale of Urashima to popular kabuki scenes with courtesans and other "floating world" characters. He made that story the subject of the main picture and put clues to its identity in the title block. Kuniyoshi delighted in these hidden messages and used every inch of the paper to tell his story. Utagawa Kuniyoshi: The Sixty-nine Stations of the Kisokaid? celebrates the beauty, charm, and ingenuity of Kuniyoshi's work with more than seventy-five full-color illustrations, including reproductions of all the prints in the treasured series. Sarah E. Thompson provides an introductory essay on the history of ukiyo-e and a description of each print. Sarah E. Thompson, Assistant Curator for Japanese Prints at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, received her PhD from Columbia University. She taught Japanese and Asian art history at Vassar College, Oberlin College, and the University of Oregon and curated several exhibitions of Japanese prints before coming to the MFA in 2004. She is now supervising the Japanese Print Access and Documentation Project, whose ultimate goal is to photograph and catalogue all fifty thousand Japanese prints in the MFA collection.

This is a collection of the work of Kuniyoshi's works that feature cats.

This Ukiyo-e Master Special edition of Kunisada's 47 Ronin contains not only Kunisada's complete set of 48 samurai prints, reproduced in full-size and full-colour, but also reference prints from Kuniyoshi's classic series of 1847, complimenting each image. The book also features A.B. Mitford's definitive Legend of the 47 Ronin, the first English-languge version of the story from 1871. This text is illustrated with 47 Ronin prints by varoius other classic ukiyo-e artists, including Yoshitora, Yoshitoshi, and Kunichika, bringing the total number of colour prints in the book to over 100.

"A story of honor and bloody revenge." The legend of the 47 ronin is one of the most popular and best known stories about the samurai in Japan. It is often referred to as the country's "national legend" and is the most revered example of the samurai code of honor, bushido, put to the ultimate test. The story tells of a group of samurai who, in 1701, were left leaderless (becoming ronin) after their daimyo (feudal lord) Asano Naganori was compelled to commit seppuku (ritual suicide) for assaulting a court official named Kira Yoshinaka. The ronin, led by Asano's chief councilor, Oishi Yoshio, avenged their master's honor by killing Kira, after waiting and planning for almost two years. In turn, the ronin were themselves forced to commit seppuku for committing the crime of murder. With much embellishment, this true story was popularized in Japanese culture as emblematic of the loyalty, sacrifice, persistence, and honor that people should preserve in their daily lives. The popularity of the almost mythical tale was enhanced by rapid modernization following the fall of the shogun during the Meiji era of Japanese history. Many versions of the events appeared and the story of the 47 ronin continues to be popular in Japan to this day. This book traces the history of the story through various retellings. It includes the first English version to appear in print, from Isaac Titsingh's "Illustrations of Japan," published in 1822, plus the second from "The Capital of the Tycoon" by Rutherford Alcock. It also includes in full "The Forty-Seven Ronins" from "Tales of Old Japan" by A. B. Mitford (plus his account of seppuku/hara-kiri), "The Loyal Ronins" by Shunsui Tamenaga, translated by Shiuichiro Saito and Edward Greey and "The Forty-Seven Ronin" by James Murdoch from "A History of Japan." This is a comprehensive collection which brings together some of the best known versions of the story and serves as a perfect introduction to the legendary tale of the 47 ronin. For more information please visit Purple Rose at www.purplerosebooks.com and view our other titles and new releases.