Japan: A beauty preparing fish sashimi. Utagawa Kunisada I (Toyokuni III, 1786-1864), c. 1840

Utagawa Kunisada (1786 – January 12, 1865), also known as Utagawa Toyokuni III, was the most popular, prolific and financially 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.

Kunisada is renowned for his prints. His favourite subjects were pleasure-houses and tea ceremonies. These themes are sometimes found together in some of his prints, as geishas usually acted as chaperones at tea-houses. Notable among his book prints are shunga pictures, which appeared in numerous books. Due to censorship, they are signed only on the title page with his alias 'Matahei'.

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Pictures From History