Focus on Ichikawa Omezō as a Pilgrim and Ichikawa Yaozō as a Samurai (Toyokuni I) and explain the Toyokuni and kabuki.
Utagawa Toyokuni (歌川豐國), also known as Toyokuni I, was the second head of the Utagawa school, and one of the most influential print-makers of the Edo period. From early adolescence, he apprenticed with Utagawa Toyoharu, studying the style of his mentor, as well as those of Chōbunsai Eishi, Utamaro and Eishōsai Chōki.Although his initial attempts met with failure, Toyokuni achieved commercial success in 1786 with illustrations for the kibyōshi novelette Tsugamonai hanashi no oyadama (無束話親玉). He soon discovered his niches:  bijinga and, more significantly, yakusha-e. Between 1794 and 1796, he created a series of prints entitled Yakusha butai no sugata-e ("Portraits of Actors in Various Roles" - 役者舞台の姿絵), which earned him "rapid recognition," and "marked the peak of his creative work." Toyokuni befriended prominent actors, and the "overwhelming majority" of his prints relate to kabuki.Toyokuni's style is admired for its "powerful and vivid lines," "striking color contrasts," "decorative bombast," and "bold, taut designs." He is credited with the innovation of polyptych formats, and with training many prominent pupils, including future masters Kunisada and Kuniyoshi.Toyokuni is often compared with Sharaku, an artist active during 1794 who specialized in yakusha-e.  While Sharaku favoured an exaggerated, stylized approach, Toyokuni's depictions are more realistic, capturing actors "as they appear on stage" and idealizing them. His kabuki-e were more popular with contemporary audiences than those of his rival; however, modern critics tend to credit Sharaku with greater artistic acuity.Toyokuni was highly prolific, and, by 1800, the Utagawa school had supplanted the Katsukawa as the major producers of kabuki-e. His success appears to have come at a price, however, as the consensus is that the quality of his later work "shows a marked decline," and even "degenerated frequently into sheer grotesquerie." Some also contend Toyokuni's talent was "predominantly imitative," more the product of study than "intuitive genius."
Utagawa Toyoharu bijinga kabuki yakusha-e kibyōshi Kuniyoshi Sharaku Eishōsai Chōki Edo period Utagawa school Kunisada Utamaro Utagawa Toyokuni