Utagawa Kuniteru II (1830-1874)

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Prints in Collection

Illustration of the Record of the Rise and Fall [of the Heike and Genji clans] in Renga, 1866
IHL Cat. #2266
Illustration of Battalion Military Drill, 1867
IHL Cat. #2073

Illustration of Mitsui Group's Western-style Three Story House at Surugacho, Tokyo, 1873
IHL Cat. #342
and #1187 (left two panels only) Mansei Bridge from the series
A Comparison of Metropolitan Tokyo's Proud Heritage, 1874
IHL Cat. #1170

Educational Prints Attributed to Kuniteru II or The School of Kuniteru II

Pilferer
from the series
Little Child's Pictures for Home Entertainment, 1873
(attributed to the school of
Utagawa Kuniteru II)
IHL Cat. #617
Young Boys' Rough Behavior
from the series
Little Child's Pictures for Home Entertainment, 1873
(attributed to the school of
Utagawa Kuniteru II)
IHL Cat. #2058
A Boy Who Likes to Fight
from the series
Little Child's Pictures for Home Entertainment, 1873
(attributed to the school of
Utagawa Kuniteru II)
IHL Cat. #2170
Good Girls Showing Concern
from the series
Little Child's Pictures for Home Entertainment, 1873
(attributed to the school of
Utagawa Kuniteru II)
IHL Cat. #2059

A Young Boy Studying
from the series
Little Child's Pictures for Home Entertainment, 1873
IHL Cat. #2261

Waterwheel
from an untitled series on
the Rice Plant, 1873
(attributed to the school of
Utagawa Kuniteru II)
IHL Cat. #632
Rice Storage
from an untitled series on
the Rice Plant, 1873
(attributed to the school of
Utagawa Kuniteru II)
IHL Cat. #633

[Principles and Applications of the] Wheel and Axle from an untitled series of prints on Mechanics

[Principles and Applications of the] Wheel and Axle from an untitled series on Mechanics, 1873
(attributed to the school of
Utagawa Kuniteru II)
IHL Cat. #765

[Principles and Applications of the] Lever
from an untitled series on Mechanics, 1873
(attributed to the school of
Utagawa Kuniteru II)
IHL Cat. #766

[Principles and Applications of the] Wedge from an untitled series of prints on Mechanics

[Principles and Applications of the] Wedge from an untitled series on Mechanics, 1873
(attributed to the school of
Utagawa Kuniteru II)
IHL Cat. #767

Thomas Carlyle
from the series Legends of Great Westerners, 1873
(attributed to the school of
Utagawa Kuniteru II)
IHL Cat. #1970
Richard Arkwright
from the series Legends of
Great Westerners, 1873
(attributed to the school of
Utagawa Kuniteru II)
IHL Cat. #1971

Benjamin Franklin
from the series Legends of
Great Westerners, 1873
(attributed to the school of
Utagawa Kuniteru II)
IHL Cat. #2054

Air and Water from an untitled series on the Natural Sciences, 1873
IHL Cat. #2311

Biographical Data

Biography

Utagawa Kuniteru II 歌川国輝（ニ代) (1830-1874)
Sources: The Hotei Encyclopedia of Japanese Woodblock Prints, Amy Reigle Newland, Hotei Publishing Company, 2005, p. 503; A Dictionary of Japanese Artists: Painting, Sculpture, Ceramics, Prints, Lacquer, Laurance P. Roberts, Weatherhill, 1976, p. 97-98.

Utagawa Kuniteru II (1830-1874)¹ was born Yamada Kunijirō 山田国次郎 in Edo (Tokyo) and was a print designer, painter and book illustrator. He studied under Utagawa Kunisada I (1786–1865). He produced yakusha-e (actor pictures), bijinga (beautiful women pictures), fuzokuga (pictures of manors and customs), meisho-e (pictures of famous places) sumo-e (pictures of wrestlers), educational prints and, most famously, bunmei kaika-e (pictures of modernization) in a late Utagawa-school manner.

He was known by various names, including the gago Ichiyōsai 一曜斎, Ichiyūsai 一雄斎, Yōsai 曜斎, Ichiransai 一蘭斎, and Kunitsuna II 国綱 (ニ代), Ichiransai Kunitsuna 一蘭斎国綱 and Ikkasai Kunitsuna. Before 1844 he may also have been known as Sadashige 貞重 and signed works with the name Ichiyūsai. He changed his name in 1865 to Kuniteru II.

¹ A Dictionary of Japanese Artists, lists his birth date as 1829, but most other sources list it as 1830.

True Picture of a Five-Story Building at Kaiun Bridge (Mitsui House) First National Bank of Japan, 1872

Utagawa Kuniteru II

Source: Japan Awakens: Woodblock Prints of the Meiji Period (1868-1912),
Barry Till, Pomegranate Communications, Inc., 2008, p. 90.

Signatures and Seals of the Artist (A Sampling)

^{国綱画
Kunitsuna ga
国綱画
Kunitsuna ga within Toshidama cartouche
一蘭斎国綱画
Ichiransai Kunitsuna ga

一蘭斎国綱画
Ichiransai Kunitsuna ga

国輝画
Kuniteru ga
国輝画
Kuniteru ga
国輝画
Kuniteru ga within gourd-shaped cartouche
国輝筆
Kuniteru hitsu followed by Toshidama seal
應好国輝筆ōkō Kuniteru hitsu}

^{一雄斎国輝画
Ichiyūsai Kuniteru ga
一雄斎国輝画
Ichiyūsai Kuniteru ga
followed by Toshidama seal
一雄斎国輝画
Ichiyūsai Kuniteru ga

一曜斎国輝画
Ichiyōsai Kuniteru ga
応需一曜斎国輝
ōju Ichiyōsai Kuniteru followed by unread
曜斎国輝画
Yōsai Kuniteru ga
曜齋国輝摸寫Yōsai Kuniteru mosha}

Subpages (18):A Boy Who Likes to Fight from the series Little Child Pictures for Home EntertainmentAir and Water from an untitled series on the Natural SciencesA Young Boy Studying from the series Little Child's Pictures for Home EntertainmentBenjamin Franklin from the series Legends of Great WesternersGood Girls Showing Concern from the series Little Child Pictures for Home EntertainmentIllustration of Battalion Military DrillIllustration of Mitsui Group's Western-style Three Story House at Surugachō, TokyoIllustration of the Record of the Rise and Fall [of the Heike and Genji clans] in RengaMansei Bridge from the series A Comparison of Metropolitan Tokyo’s Proud HeritagePilferer from the series Little Child's Pictures for Home Entertainment[Principles and Applications of the] Lever from an untitled series on Mechanics[Principles and Applications of the] Wedge from an untitled series on Mechanics[Principles and Applications of the] Wheel and Axle from an untitled series on MechanicsRice Storage from an untitled series on the Rice PlantRichard Arkwright from the series Legends of Great WesternersThomas Carlyle from the series Legends of Great WesternersWaterwheel from an untitled series on the Rice PlantYoung Boys' Rough Behavior from the series Little Child's Pictures for Home Entertainment