Utagawa Kuniaki II

Utagawa Kuniaki II was a Japanese print designer whose documented activity is centered around the year 1862. Working within the tradition of ukiyo-e, he specialized in yakusha-e, or portraits of Kabuki actors, focusing primarily on dramatic historical narratives.

His work is largely defined by a series of prints dedicated to the popular production, Kanadehon Chūshingura (The Storehouse of Loyal Retainers, a Primer). The seven prints represented in collections illustrate key dramatic moments, featuring celebrated actors of the era such as Bandō Hikosaburō V, Sawamura Tanosuke III, and Kataoka Nizaemon VIII. Specific compositions include Act III (Dai sandanme) and Act VII (Dai nanadanme).

Examples of Utagawa Kuniaki II prints are preserved in internationally recognized collections, notably at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As with many Japanese woodblock artists of this period, his work provides verifiable historical documentation of the nineteenth-century theatrical stage. Many of these important artworks now reside in the public domain and are available today as high-quality prints.

Utagawa Kuniaki II

Works in Collection

Act III (Dai sandanme): Actors Bandō Hikosaburō V as Hayano Kanpei and Sawamura Tanosuke III as Koshimoto Okaru, from the series The Storehouse of Loyal Retainers, a Primer (Kanadehon chūshingura)

Act IX (Dai kudanme): Actors Sawamura Tanosuke III as Ōboshi Rikiya and Bandō Kamezō I as Kakogawa Honzō, from the series The Storehouse of Loyal Retainers, a Primer (Kanadehon chūshingura)

Act VI (Dai rokudanme): Actors Bandō Hikosaburō as Hayano Kanpei and Sawamura Tanosuke as His Wife Okaru, from the series The Storehouse of Loyal Retainers, a Primer (Kanadehon chūshingura)

Act VII (Dai nanadanme): Actors Kataoka Nizaemon VIII as Ōboshi Yuranosuke, Sawamura Tanosuke as Okaru, from the series The Storehouse of Loyal Retainers, a Primer (Kanadehon chūshingura)

Act VIII (Dai hachidanme): Actors Bandō Hikosaburō V as Honzō's Wife (Nyōbō) Tonase and Sawamura Tosshō II as His Daughter (Musume) Konami, from the series The Storehouse of Loyal Retainers, a Primer (Kanadehon chūshingura)

Act X (Dai jūdanme): Actors Kataoka Nizaemon VIII as Ōboshi Yuranosuke, Bandō Kamezō I as Amakawaya Gihei, and Ichikawa Dannosuke V as His Wife (Nyōbō) Osono, from the series The Storehouse of Loyal Retainers, a Primer (Kanadehon chūshingura)

Act XI (Dai jūichidanme): Actors Kataoka Nizaemon VIII as Ōboshi Yuranosuke and Bandō Kamezō I as Kō no Moronao, from the series The Storehouse of Loyal Retainers, a Primer (Kanadehon chūshingura)