Although Utagawa Kuniyoshi created all genre of ukiyoe, many of his impressive works are not portraits of beauties or actors. He is called an “artist of unique imagination” since he introduced new ideas one after another out of his abundant imagination into wide ranged field of his artworks.

Among of all Kuniyoshi’s artworks, giga pieces (humorous or satiric paintings, or sketches or drawings done in fun) are most popular. Especially his giga pieces which depict anthropomorphic images of animals have been very popular throughout the ages. Kuniyoshi was known as very enthusiastic ailurophile (cat lover) and depicted many cats in his artworks. He also anthropomorphized gold fish, carp and turtles.

He also created unique pieces playing with objects’shapes such as creating a human face with different shapes of human bodies. His unique artworks show his incomparably abundant artistic imagination.

*About the Utagawa School
The Utagawa School is the most prolific school of ukiyoe artists in the late Edo period (mid 18c-mid 19c). The founder of the school, Utagawa Toyoharu (1735-1814) produced prints of beautiful women (bijinga) and actor portraits (yakushae), but he became particularly famous for landscapes depicted in the western perspective (uki-e, lit. floating pictures). The prosperity of the Utagawa school was established by his followers Toyokuni (1769-1825) and Toyohiro (1765?-1829).