The registration and the colors in the print are excellent. It is in excellent condition with no tears, holes or foxing. There is no toning evident – we have not examined the print out of the frame as it is so nicely framed. The print’s image is of oban size – 14 ½” by 9 ½” – the framed size is 20 ½” by 15 ½”. It is dated 1860 and the publisher is Uo-Ei. The print bears an Aratame censors seal. The print is signed Tokokuni-ga with Kunisada’s character seal.

Utagawa Kunisada (1786 - 1865) (Japanese -also known as Utagawa Toyokuni III was the most popular, prolific and financially successful designer of ukiyo-e woodblock prints in 19th-century Japan. In his own time, his reputation far exceeded that of his contemporaries, Hokusai, Hiroshige and Kuniyoshi.

Almost from the first day of his activity, and even at the time of his death in early 1865, Kunisada was a trendsetter in the art of the Japanese woodblock print. Always at the vanguard of his time, and in tune with the tastes of the public, he continuously developed his style, which was sometimes radically changed, and did not adhere to stylistic constraints set by any of his contemporaries.

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