(1753-1806) According to records at the Senko-ji Temple, where the ashes of Kitagawa Utamaro are interred, he died at the age of 53 in 1806, which would mean he was probably born in 1753. The place of his birth is not known for certain, although it may have been Edo. He was taught by an artist named Toriyama Sekien (1714-1788), who was a traditional painter, not known for ukiyo-e prints. Sekien also used the name Toyofus, and initially, Utamaro took the name Kitagawa Toyoaki. In 1781 he began to use the name Utamaro.

Utamaro did illustrations for the theatre, including libretto covers and a picture book on the kabuki play Kanade-hon Chushingura, the celebrated story of the 47 ronin. In the 1780's he created illustrations for popular literature. By the late 1780's he began his series of prints depicting life in the unlicensed brothel district of the Ueno Hirokoji area.

After his teacher died in 1788, Utamaro considered himself a mature artist in his own right. He went on to create prints of beautiful women. He painted portraits of the wives and daughters of merchants in addition to courtesans and even drunken prostitutes of the lower classes.

Unfortunately, there was increasing government censorship of works of art. Afer creating the triptych Hideyoshi Enjoying the Cherry Blossoms with His Five Concubines, Utamaro was arrested and endured a brief jail sentence. As a result, he was flooded with orders for pictures. His overwork may have contibuted to his early death.

Ukiyo-e Prints & Posters

References:
Utamaro: Masterworks of Ukiyo-e by Muneshige Narazaki and Sadao Kikuchi; (1968) Kodansha International Ltd; Tokyo, Japan
Ukiyo-e: 250 Years of Japanese Art by Roni Neuer & Herbert Libertson; (1979) Gallery Books; New York, NY