Torii Kiyomasu II (鳥居 清倍)
Torii Kiyomasu II (鳥居 清倍) was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist affiliated with the influential Torii school, active primarily between 1663 and 1723. Specializing in woodblock prints, his output focused predominantly on the popular genres of theatrical portraiture (yakusha-e) and representations of daily life (bijinga).
His surviving works in institutional collections demonstrate the characteristic bold linework and dramatic composition associated with the Torii lineage. Notable figural prints include the intimate composition Sanjō Kantarō as a Woman Arranging Her Hair Before a Lacquer Mirror and the representation of childhood activity in Girl Playing Battledore and Shuttlecock. Kiyomasu II also captured specific performances, as seen in the print featuring The Actor, Nakamura Shichisaburo II, 1703–1774 as a Woman with Fan. His repertoire extended beyond actors and women to include landscape and narrative subjects, exemplified by works such as Night Rain at Karasaki and The Priest Kobo Daishi at the Tama River in Kii Province from the series The Six Tama Rivers.
The significance of Torii Kiyomasu II (鳥居 清倍) prints is underscored by their inclusion in major institutional collections. A documented 14 prints and one additional work are held by prominent museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago, establishing the museum-quality nature of his historical output. These artworks, now largely in the public domain, are frequently made available as high-quality prints for scholarly research and public appreciation.
