Utagawa KunisadaUtagawa Kunisada I (1786-1865) was, in his own time, by far the most popular and successful ukiyo-e print designer in Japan, eclipsing his contemporaries Hokusai, Hiroshige and Kuniyoshi. He was a prolific artist with enormous talent and energ and published tens of thousands of individual designs. His most popular subject was kabuki actors, but he also excelled at pictures of beautiful women (bijin-ga). In 1820s Kunisada joined author Ryutei Tanehiko (1783-1842) to work on illustrating a series of books based on the classical novel 'The Tale of Genji', the reinterpreted story having been relocated from the old capital of Kyoto to the new audience in Edo. The work started a new ukiyo-e genre, genji-e, and proved an overnight success, becoming the first Japanese publication to sell over 10,000 copies, a record which stood for many years. Kunisada gave his audience an escape from the restrictions of their ordinary lives and his designs, with their optimism and energy, still have the capacity today to attract and entertain. Read More Read Less