Kunimaru Utagawa (国丸) Also signed Bunji (文治)
(1793–1829)
Kunimaru Utagawa was an ukiyo-e artist in the mid-Edo period. His real surname was Maeda, commonly known as Bunji. He was also known as Iseya Ihachi. He used the surname of an artist of Utagawa, and was known by the names Ichiensai, Gosairou, Keiuntei, Saikarou, and Hanchoan. His original artist name was Bunji. He was born in Edo, and his father ran a pawnshop in Honmachi. Details about him are unknown, except that he was a pupil of the first Utagawa Toyokuni and Tagawa Hourou.
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/歌川国丸
According to the encyclopedia of Ukiyo-e in the late 1980s, the Utagawa school had 151 students, 147 workers from Kuniyoshi, and 173 people from Kuniyoshi. Students who studied at the Utagawa school would gain the chance to receive the Utagawa name if their skill is approved. The master would give out the Utagawa surname, and the use of “Toshinomaru”, which is Utagawa's own family crest that is only found within the Utagawa family to the best students.
The “Yearball”, rounded design, was the symbol of the Utagawa family. This symbol was easy to recognize, so the people who wore the Utagawa crested kimono did not need the ticket to the Edo theater at that time. The “Tatsunori no Maru” crest of the same shape with an added line, was used only by the master of Muneya and his workers. The next master was decided at a convention of the very large Utagawa Ichimon family. The master was mainly decided by personality and their Ukiyo-e skills. However, the higher the rank, the better chance that they would be chosen. There were gifts such as crests from the shogunate in the house using this family crest. Utagawa Kazumon did not only pay attention to the aesthetic of the picture, but also tried to maintain a close relationship with the masses, calling himself “painter”.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utagawa_school
Bamboo and rising sun (surimono)
1812-1834
Color woodblock print; shikishiban, surimono
22 x 19.7 cm
Among others:
Art Institute of Chicago
https://www.artic.edu/artworks/86741/bamboo-and-rising-sun
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/nl/collectie/object/Bamboo-and-rising-sun--a2e823943670b02a2a4c8fa036909bcd
A surimono is a luxurious print on which an image is combined with one or more poems. When printing a surimono, thicker paper, blind printing and metal pigments, such as copper and silver powder, were often used. The prints were often commissioned by poets and given as an exclusive gift to friends and relations.
.png)