Japanese Woodblock Prints. Andreas Marks
Given name: Shōjirō. Art surname: Torii.
Obscure early print designer about whom no primary evidence exists apart from the works signed by him. Kiyomasu is believed to be related to Torii Kiyonobu in some way by presumably being his oldest son, brother, or student, but it also has been suggested that he actually established a different lineage within the Torii School. Nevertheless, he was one of the principal artists of the first generation of the Torii School.
No books with illustrations by Kiyomasu are known. His period of activity can only be defined according to the dated actor prints, therefore 1704 until 1718. During that time he worked for six publishers. Kiyomasu predominantly designed actor prints but also some of warriors, beauties, and other subjects. Most of his over 80 known theater prints are from the 1710s. Presumably around 1715, he designed a number of series of horizontal sumizuri-e (black-and-white pictures) that illustrate stage scenes. His statuesque beauties follow the style of the Kaigetsudō School artists. Because since 1719, works signed “Kiyomasu” bear different signatures, it is believed that they are by Kiyomasu II. Having left no prints dated after 1718, he seemed to have disappeared rather quickly from the scene and perhaps died young.
early 1700s. Kintarō wrestling with a black bear. 55.2 x 32.1 cm, tan-e. Publisher: Igaya Kan’emon. Honolulu Academy of Arts: Gift of James A. Michener, 1975 (16576).
Kiyomasu II
1706–1763
Given name: Hanzaburō. Art surname: Torii.
Like Kiyomasu, Kiyomasu II’s life is also obscure. Works since 1719 signed “Kiyomasu” are believed to be by Kiyomasu II. However, the Torii family genealogy (Torii ga keifu kō; from the 1900s) states Kiyomasu II to have lived from 1706 to 1763, which would make him thirteen when he designed his earliest prints. We are also told that Kiyomasu II became the second-generation head of the entire Torii family, married in 1724, and later in his life moved from Naniwachō to Sumiyoshichō. However, the accuracy of the Torii family genealogy must be questioned as it does not distinguish between two generations of artists named Kiyomasu and therefore fails to explain who was the artist of several prints from the 1700s signed “Kiyomasu.”
Kiyomasu II’s style is similar to that of Kiyonobu II but he seems to have been even more active. He worked for at least eleven publishers, especially Igaya Kan’emon for whom he designed a number of series like “The Eight Sheets on the Eight Views of the Yoshiwara” (Yoshiwara hakkei hachimai no uchi). Very active in many genres, he was most prolific in actor prints. His range of works includes haribako-e (prints intended to be cut out) and hosoban (narrow format) but also prints in the ōban format, published in the 1750s. Kiyomasu II illustrated a number of books, for example “Crusade of the Fashionable Sightseers” (Fūryū urokuzu taiji; 1745) and “Abbreviated Figures of Famous Actors” (Yakusha meibutsu yatsushi sugata; 1757).
Kiyomasu II’s students included Kiyohiro (act. c.1752–60), Kiyotsune (act. c.1757–1778) and his second son, Kiyomitsu. Kiyomasu II is believed to have died aged 58, on the second day of the 11th month, 1763. He is buried in the Hōjōji, Asakusa, and received the posthumous name Seigon’in Sōrin Nichijō.
c.1718 The actor Tamazawa Rin’ya in an unidentified role. Hosoban tan-e. Publisher: Iseya Kinbei. Collection Peter Rieder. Mutō 2005, no. 435.
c.1730–35 “No. 2—Night rain at Edomachi” (Edomachi no yau), from the series “The Eight Sheets on the Eight Views of the Yoshiwara” (Yoshiwara hakkei hachimai no uchi). Hosoban beni-e. Publisher: Igaya Kan’emon. Collection Peter Rieder.
c.1740 “Three—Komachi at Kiyomizu Temple” (San—Kiyomizu Komachi), from the series “Seven Komachi” (Nana Komachi). Hosoban urushi-e. Publisher: Igaya Kan’emon. Library of Congress.
c.1710s “Shitaya-style, set of three—right” (Shitayafū sanpukutsui). Hosoban urushi-e. Publisher: Urokogataya Magobei. Collection Peter Rieder.
Late 1740s The actor Ichikawa Ebizō II in the role of Kinzaemon Yorikata in an unidentified play. Hosoban benizuri-e. Publisher: Maruya Kohei. Library of Congress. Unlisted in Mutō 2005.
Kiyomitsu
1735–1785
Given name: Kamejirō. Art surname: Torii.
Kiyomitsu, born 1735, became the third titular head of the Torii School. Born in Naniwachō presumably as the second son of Kiyomasu II, Kiyomitsu studied under his father. He married at age 18 and had two children, a boy who died at the age of about 16 and a girl.
His earliest known works are the illustrated books “Kagekiyo from Hyūga Province” (Hyūga Kagekiyo) and “Tale of the Love Tomb” (Koizuka monogatari), dating from 1746. In the late 1750s, he was very active in single sheet actor prints, many of them benizuri-e (two-color-printing) and abuna-e (indecent pictures, capturing partially nude women).
Until the late 1760s, he continued to be the most active and prolific designer of actor prints. His designs appeared as “brocade pictures” (nishiki-e) until the late 1770s and he also produced pillar prints (hashira-e), playbills and illustrations for novels as well as a few warrior prints. Kiyomitsu’s actor prints were published until at least 1781.
Among his many students was Kiyonaga who then succeeded him as head of the Torii School. After Kiyomitsu passed away on the third day of the forth month in 1785 he was buried at Hōjōji, Asakusa.
1761 The actor Ichimura Kamezō I as Kyō no Jirō in the play Edomurasaki kongen Soga, Ichimura Theater, V/1761. Hosoban benizuri-e. Publisher: Yamashiroya. Library of Congress. Mutō 2005, no. 923.
1760s Kumagai Jirō Naozane and Mukan Tayū Atsumori. Ōban benizuri-e. Publisher: Enamiya. Asian Art Museum, National Museums in Berlin.
1760s Young lady making a snowball. Hosoban benizuri-e. Publisher: Maruya Kuzaemon. Library of Congress.
1766 The actors Ichikawa Yaozō II as Matano Gorō and Nakamura Sukegorō I as Mimishirō in an unidentified play. Hosoban benizuri-e. Publisher: Nishimuraya Yohachi. Collection Peter Rieder. Mutō 2005, no. 1095.
1763 The actors Onoe Kikugorō I as Kudō Suketsune and Bandō Aizō as Inubōmaru in the play Fūjibumi sakae Soga, Ichimura Theater, II/1763. Hosoban benizuri-e. Publisher: Urokogataya Magobei. National Museum of Ethnology, Leiden, The Netherlands. Mutō 2005, no. 1016.
1760s The actor Sakata Hangorō II as Kizu Kansuke in an unidentified play. Hosoban benizuri-e. Publisher: Okumuraya. Collection Peter Rieder. Unlisted in Mutō 2005.
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