An exploration of the rivalry between Kuniyoshi and Kunisada, two of the most popular Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock print artists of the nineteenth century, based on masterworks from the peerless Japanese art collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Rival ukiyo-e masters Kuniyoshi and Kunisada were the two most admired designers of figure prints in nineteenth-century Japan. Famous for the realism of his portraits of Kabuki actors, the sensuality of his beautiful women and the luxurious settings he imagined for historical scenes, Kunisada was the popular favourite during his lifetime. Kuniyoshi is loved by connoisseurs and collectors today for his dynamic action scenes of warriors and monsters (which foreshadowed present-day manga and anime), his comic prints, and even a few especially daring works that included forbidden political satire in disguise. With scores of illustrations in glorious full colour, this beautifully produced volume presents Kuniyoshi and Kunisada’s artistic rivalry through a selection of outstanding works from the unparalleled Japanese art collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Readers are invited to decide for themselves which of the two is their personal favourite.

The first extensive comparison of works by woodcut masters Kunisada and Kuniyoshi

In the early sixties, what was then the Kunstmuseum Düsseldorf received a large gift of Japanese woodcuts (ukiyo-e), to which the donor generously added until 1988. Among them are 220 pieces by the illustrators Kunisada (1786–1865) and Kuniyoshi (1798–1861), which are distinguished by their finely tuned palettes and the expressive gestures of their figures. The prints take the viewer into a colorful, imaginative dream world, while some even seem like early examples of the Manga comics so popular today. This publication offers a rare opportunity to compare the two artists’ illustrations of the same themes. The essays provide an introduction to nineteenth-century Japanese popular culture, bridging the gap between the centuries by exploring aspects of the grotesque in Japanese art, explaining legends and plays, and presenting some of Kuniyoshi’s preliminary studies.