Artist: Utagawa Kuniyoshi (signed: Ichiyūsai Kuniyoshi ga)

Date: Circa 1847–1852 (from his mature series based on the kabuki play Chūshingura)

Period: Late Edo period (Bakumatsu)

Medium: Original polychrome woodblock print (Moku-hanga / Nishiki-e), hand-carved and hand-printed with ink and pigments on Japanese paper (washi). Original Ukiyo-e.

Dimensions: Two vertical Ōban format sheets (each panel measures approximately 36 x 25 cm, forming a diptych of about 36 x 50 cm in total)

Condition: The actual condition of the ukiyo-e is clearly shown in the images. We recommend reviewing all photos in detail before purchasing. On the back, it has a paper backing, but it is not glued to the entire print, it is only glued at the corners, which means that this backing can be carefully removed.

Utagawa Kuniyoshi is widely celebrated as one of the last great masters of the ukiyo-e style and one of the most innovative minds of the late Edo period. His true impact lay in breaking contemporary aesthetic molds through unprecedented compositional dynamism, bold perspectives, and a sharp dramatic sense. Kuniyoshi completely revolutionized the warrior print genre (musha-e) by depicting heroic battles imbued with an almost cinematic energy, while simultaneously excelling brilliantly in the representation of supernatural folklore, mythological creatures (yōkai), and complex political satires disguised as humorous scenes. His astonishing creative flexibility, combined with his famous fondness for portraying cats in ingenious compositions, not only massively influenced subsequent generations of illustrators but is also considered today by academics and art historians as a direct conceptual precursor to modern manga and Japanese animation.