In this artwork, how is the Biography of the Utagawa Kunisada elucidated?
Utagawa Kunisada (歌川国貞) was born in 1786 in the Honjō district of Edo (present-day Tokyo) into a wealthy family of ferry service owners. He began an apprenticeship with the head of the prestigious Utagawa school of artists, Toyokuni I, in 1807, and took the artist name Kunisada to include the second character (国 - kuni) of his mentor's name. In 1844, Kunisada succeeded his master as Toyokuni III (三代歌川豊国).Kunisada emerged as a book illustrator in 1807 with the series "Twelve Hours of the Courtesans" (Keisei jūnitoki). Kuchi-e book illustrations were essential to the success of the then popular sharebon and kibyōshi books, and this soon became a lucrative market for Kunisada due to his talent and ambition. His position within the Utagawa studio afforded him access to training from the finest masters, and connections to publishers, actors, theatres and poet's associations. This, in turn, led to many commissions. By the early 1810s, he had opened his own studio, and demand for his illustrations had outstripped that for his master's. His great success was also reputedly linked to his "convivial and balanced demeanor, and [the fact that] he delivered his commissions on time."Kunisada was "without a doubt... the most prolific and successful print artist of all time." He was incredibly prodigious, creating between 35 and 40 thousand designs for individual ukiyo-e prints during his lifetime. His studio was larger than that of any other print artist, and he had a large stable of several dozen students. As a further indication of his unprecedented success, when he died in 1865 after having headed the Utagawa school for around 40 years, he was the subject of four separate shini-e memorial portraits. He is buried on the grounds of Banshōin Kōunji Temple in present-day Nakano ward, Tokyo, alongside Toyokuni I (1769–1825) and Kunisada II (1823–1880).
ukiyo-e Kuchi-e Kunisada II Toyokuni II Utagawa Kunisada Kunisada Toyokuni III Toyokuni I Tokyo