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Biographical Data

Biography

Utagawa Yoshimune II 歌川 芳宗  二世 (ウタガワ ヨシムネ) (1863-1941)

Source: Guide to Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints: 1900-1975, Helen Merritt and Nanako Yamada, University of Hawaii Press, 1992, p. 165

Given name Shūjirō.  The eleventh and youngest son of Utagawa Yoshimune I (1817-1880) his childhood residence was in the Kinroku-chō area of Tokyo.  At a young age he studied with the famous ukiyo-e artist Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-1892) and he assumed the name Toshiyuki 年雪 at age thirteen.  After his father's death he was adopted by the Arai 新井 family. He succeeded his father in 1882 to become Yoshimune II and occasionally used his father’s art name (gō) Isshōsai 一松斎 along with the name Arai Yoshimune  新井芳宗.  Worked as illustrator and print designer. Also known as Arai Toshiyuki  新井年雪.