Utagawa Yoshitora
1861
Donated by the Homma family
Utagawa Yoshitora (dates of birth and death unknown) was an ukiyo-e artist during the Bakumatsu period (the last years of Shōgunal rule) and Meiji period, and a follower of Utagawa Kuniyoshi. Starting with paintings of warriors and actors, he became active in creating portraits of beautiful women and Yokohama-e (woodblock print ukiyo-e depicting Yokohama from the end of the Edo period to the beginning of the Meiji era) in the final years of the Shogunate. From the Meiji era onwards, he painted “civilized” multi-colored prints using themes like Tokyo scenery and the railroad.