Hiroshige II

was a Japanese designer of ukiyo-e art. He inherited the name Hiroshige II following the death in 1858 of his master Hiroshige, whose daughter he married. In 1865 he moved from Edo to Yokohama after dissolving his marriage and began using the name Kisai Risshō (喜斎立祥; alternate pronunciation: Ryūshō). His work so resembles that of his master that scholars have often confused them.

Life and career

Born Suzuki Chinpei () in 1826, it is said that he was born to a fireman, as was his master Hiroshige to whom he became apprenticed under the name Shigenobu at an unknown age. His earliest known work is the illustrations for a book called ''Twenty-four Paragons of Japan and China'' from 1849.

Hiroshige II produced a large number of commissioned work in the 1850s in the style of the elder Hiroshige, and often signed his work ''Ichiryūsai mon'' ("student of Ichiryūsai", another art name of Hiroshige I's), and from to 1858 simply as Ichiryūsai. In 1858, he married Hiroshige I's daughter Otatsu after the master's death and inherited the Hiroshige name, as well as the names Ichiryūsai and Ryūsai.

The artist moved from Edo to Yokohama in 1865 after dissolving his marriage and began using the name Kisai Risshō (喜斎立祥; alternate pronunciation: Ryūshō). During this decade he produced a number of collaborative print series, particularly with Kunisada, who had earlier worked with Hiroshige I. In his final years he turned mainly to decorating works intended for export, such as tea chests, kites, and lanterns. On 17 September 1869 he died at the age of 44.

Hiroshige I took on few students; Hiroshige II was the most successful of these. His works have often been confounded with those of his master, which they resemble closely in style, subject, and signature. Early Western scholars did not even recognize him as a separate artist.

Another pupil of the first Hiroshige, Shigemasa, later married the master's daughter, Otatsu, and also began using the name Hiroshige; this artist now is known as Hiroshige III.

Galleries

Hiroshige II Enshū Akiha.jpg, ''Enshū Akiha Enkei Fukuroi Tako'', 1859
Hiroshige II Hōki Shimodani.jpg, ''Hōki Shimodani'', 1859
Hiroshige II Banshū Murotsu.jpg, ''Banshū Murotsu'', 1859
Hiroshige II Bizen Tatsunokuchiyama.jpg, ''Bizen Tatsunokuchiyama'', 1860
Hiroshige II, Shimotsuke chūzenji kosui.jpg, ''Chūzenji Lake in Shimozuke Province'', 1860
Hiroshige II - Kishu kumano iwatake tori - Shokoku meisho hyakkei.jpg, ''Mushroom gathering at Kumano in Kishū'', 1860

Kinryuzan Temple in Asakusa from the series Famous Places in the Eastern Capital by Hiroshige II.jpg, ''Kinryuzan Temple in Asakusa'' from the series ''Famous Places in the Eastern Capital'', mid-19th century
Utagawa Hiroshige II - Passage through Hakone.JPG, ''Passage through Hakone'' from the series ''Famous Places in Various Provinces'', 1850s
Picture of the Steam Engine Railway in Yatsuyama, Tokyo LACMA M.83.245.11a-c.jpg, ''Steam Engine Railway in Yatsuyama'', 1860s
File:Totoiriyaasagao hiroshige.jpg, '' Morning Glories in Iriya, Eastern Capital'' from ''Thirty-six Selected Flower Scenes'', 1866

See also

*Utagawa school
* List of Utagawa school members

References

Works cited

*

Further reading

* 'Hiroshige II' in: Forbes, Andrew; Henley, David (2014). ''100 Famous Views of Edo''. Chiang Mai: Cognoscenti Books. ASIN: B00HR3RHUY
* Lane, Richard. (1978). ''Images from the Floating World, The Japanese Print.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press.
OCLC 5246796
* Newland, Amy Reigle. (2005). ''Hotei Encyclopedia of Japanese Woodblock Prints.'' Amsterdam: Hotei.
OCLC 61666175

External links

Prints

Catalogue Raisonné of the Work of Utagawa Hiroshige IIUkiyo-e Prints by Utagawa Hiroshige II
*

Biographies

Biography of Utagawa Hiroshige II, British Museum

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hiroshige 02
1826 births
1869 deaths
Ukiyo-e artists
Utagawa school