Toyohara Kunichika: Master of Kabuki in Japanese Woodblock Prints of the Meiji Era

A face that almost fills the entire sheet. An intense gaze. A kimono covered in patterns. Red, purple, deep blue. And the impression that the actor is about to leap off the paper and deliver his lines.

Welcome to Toyohara Kunichika.

Less known in France than Hokusai, Hiroshige, or Kuniyoshi, Kunichika is nevertheless one of the great masters of 19th-century Japanese prints. A specialist in Kabuki actor portraits, he worked during a particularly fascinating moment in Japanese history: when the world of Edo shifted into the modernity of the Meiji era.

And for an artist, that's a pretty good observation post.

Toyohara Kunichika, an artist between Edo and Meiji

Toyohara Kunichika (豊原国周, 1835-1900) was born in Edo, present-day Tokyo, under the name Ōshima Yasohachi.

After an initial apprenticeship with Toyohara Chikanobu, he entered the studio of Utagawa Kunisada, an immense figure of ukiyo-e and a great specialist in actor portraits.

It's hard to imagine a better school.

Kunisada perfectly mastered the codes of Kabuki, the expectations of the public, and everything that transforms a popular actor into an immediately recognizable image. This influence would remain essential in Kunichika's work.

His artist name even bears its trace: Kuni comes from Kunisada and chika from Chikanobu.

To better understand this lineage, you can also find our feature on Utagawa Kunisada, also known as Toyokuni III.

But Kunichika would not simply be an heir.

At the time of the Meiji Restoration in 1868, he was 33 years old. He had learned his trade in Tokugawa Japan, but carried out much of his career in a country undergoing profound transformation.

Edo became Tokyo. Railways appeared. Photography developed. Western clothes entered the streets. New pigments arrived in the workshops.

Ukiyo-e also had to find its place in this new Japan.

Kunichika would show that a traditional art could evolve without losing its identity.

Why is Kunichika primarily associated with Kabuki?

Because his main playground is yakusha-e: prints depicting Kabuki actors.

In the 19th century, actors were true celebrities. The public knew their faces, their lineage, their great roles, and sometimes even their rivalries.

Prints allowed people to leave the theater with an image of their favorite actor.

A yakusha-e was thus simultaneously a work of art, a souvenir of a performance, and an image of a star.

A kind of blend between a movie poster, a promotional portrait, and a collector's item.

But much more complicated to print.

Kunichika genuinely frequented theatrical circles and knew several of the great actors of his time. He was particularly close to Ichikawa Danjūrō IX, one of the major figures of Kabuki in the Meiji era.

This proximity is important, because Kunichika did not simply seek to represent a character.

He sought to represent a specific actor in a specific role.

The viewer had to be able to recognize the star behind the makeup and costume.

This is what makes these prints particularly interesting today: they are both graphic works and genuine documents on the history of Japanese theater.

To delve deeper into this subject, Kogechan also takes you to yakusha-e prints and Japanese Kabuki theater.

How to recognize Kunichika's style?

What often strikes first is the framing.

Kunichika liked very close-up faces. In some prints, the head and upper body occupy almost the entire composition.

The background disappears.

The actor becomes the spectacle.

These portraits sometimes give an astonishingly modern impression: a face cut off by the frame, a gaze directed out of the image, almost abstract kimono patterns, a very strong contrast between colors.

And speaking of which.

Kunichika's prints readily used the new colors that spread during the Meiji era, especially particularly powerful reds and purples.

For a long time, some Western collectors found these hues too aggressive and considered Meiji prints less refined than those of previous periods.

However, this is to miss their interest.

Kunichika was not trying to produce a print that resembled those of 1780.

He depicted the Tokyo of his time.

A faster, more spectacular world, already becoming modern.

His colors are part of this story.

The triptych: Kabuki on the big screen

Kunichika also favored triptychs, composed of three sheets placed side by side.

The format was perfect for theater.

Actors could face each other, gazes could move from one sheet to another, costumes could span the entire composition, and the scenery could gain considerable scale.

Cinemascope on paper.

But triptychs today pose a small problem for collectors: the three sheets have often been separated over their history.

It is therefore entirely possible to find a single sheet originally from a triptych.

And this is precisely the kind of important detail when studying an old print.

At KOGEDO, when we identify a work, we never just look at the artist's name. We also try to understand what we actually have before our eyes: an isolated work or an element of a set, the actor depicted, the role, series, publisher, date, signature, seals…

This is often where the most enjoyable part begins.

Or the most obsessive.

It all depends on the number of hours already spent comparing Japanese cartouches.

Danjūrō, Kikugorō, and a small star battle

Kunichika depicted several of the greatest theatrical celebrities of the late 19th century, notably Ichikawa Danjūrō IX, Onoe Kikugorō V, and Ichikawa Sadanji I.

These three actors dominated the Tokyo stage so much that they were sometimes referred to as Dan-Kiku-Sa.

One of the most amusing anecdotes about Kunichika concerns Danjūrō and Kikugorō.

From 1893, Kunichika worked on a vast series dedicated to Onoe Kikugorō V, depicting the actor in a multitude of roles.

Danjūrō IX reportedly disliked seeing his great rival benefit from such a printed monument and sought to obtain a comparable series himself.

Prints contributed to the construction of an actor's celebrity; yakusha-e was already a medium.

Kunichika, a traveling artist?

This is one of the most famous anecdotes about him.

Kunichika claimed to have moved no less than 117 times during his life!

He even joked that if he couldn't beat Hokusai in painting, he could at least surpass him in the number of moves!

And if you want to know more about the absolute master of printmaking, read our article: Katsushika Hokusai, the "old man mad about drawing".

Why is Kunichika less famous than Hokusai or Hiroshige?

Because for a long time, the Western history of ukiyo-e primarily highlighted older periods.

Utamaro, Hokusai, Hiroshige, or Sharaku gradually gained immense reputations in Europe.

Conversely, late 19th-century prints were long viewed as works of a declining ukiyo-e: overly vivid colors, commercial production, Western influence, competition from photography…

Kunichika found himself squarely in this unloved period.

Today, his work is much better regarded.

And most importantly, it can be viewed differently.

Kunichika is not interesting because he was simply one of the last representatives of an ancient art.

He is interesting because he shows how ukiyo-e reacted to the birth of modern Japan.

He preserved woodblock printing, actors, traditional formats, and the legacy of Kunisada, while adopting new colors and particularly spectacular compositions.

His prints stand exactly at the border between two worlds.

How KOGEDO identifies a Kunichika print?

A "Kunichika" signature is obviously not enough.

When studying an old print at KOGEDO, several elements must work together.

We start with the artist's signature, which can appear in different forms such as Kunichika ga or Toyohara Kunichika hitsu.

But we also look at the actor's name, the role depicted, the cartouches, date and censorship seals, the publisher, sometimes the engraver, as well as the overall composition.

A single sheet, for example, can reveal that it once belonged to a triptych.

An actor's name can sometimes identify a play.

A known series can help accurately date the print.

Then comes the material examination: paper, colors, print quality, margins, wear, any restorations.

It is by cross-referencing all these clues that the print truly begins to tell its story.

If you also want to start deciphering this small world of cartouches, characters, and seals, find our guide How to read a Japanese print: signatures, titles, and seals.

And to understand how these images were produced before they even reached collectors, also discover the manufacturing steps of a Japanese print.

Why is Toyohara Kunichika important in the history of ukiyo-e?

Because he perfectly bridges the gap between Edo and Meiji.

Trained by Kunisada, he inherited an already ancient tradition of actor portraits and the Utagawa school.

But instead of simply reproducing it, he adapted it to his era.

His close-ups, powerful colors, triptych compositions, and obsession with the great Kabuki stars fully belong to late 19th-century Tokyo.

His prints therefore simultaneously tell the story of the disappearance of the Edo world and the birth of modern Japan.

And that is probably the best reason to rediscover Kunichika today.

Not as an artist who arrived too late in the history of ukiyo-e.

But as one of those who managed to keep it alive until the threshold of the 20th century.

You can find works by Kunichika, Kunisada, and other 19th-century masters in KOGEDO's selection of ancient and authentic Japanese prints.

However, be careful.

A Kunichika print sometimes leads to a Kunisada.

Then to a Kuniyoshi.

Then to a Hiroshige...

Kogechan disclaims all responsibility. 🦝

Frequently asked questions about Toyohara Kunichika

Is Toyohara Kunichika an Edo or Meiji period artist?

Both. Born in 1835, Kunichika began his career during the Edo period but produced much of his work after 1868, during the Meiji era. This position between the two periods is precisely one of the keys to understanding his work.

What does Kunichika primarily depict in his prints?

Kunichika is best known for his yakusha-e, portraits of Kabuki theater actors. He notably depicted several major stars of the Meiji era, such as Ichikawa Danjūrō IX and Onoe Kikugorō V.

Are Toyohara Kunichika's prints ukiyo-e?

Yes. Kunichika fully belongs to the ukiyo-e tradition and the Utagawa school through his training with Kunisada. His work allows us to observe how ukiyo-e evolved in contact with modern Japan during the Meiji era.