Torii Kiyohiro (鳥居 清広, d.
c. 1776) was a Japanese artist of the
Torii school of
ukiyo-e.
Kiyohiro's date of birth is unknown,[1] while Ukiyo-e Ruikō lists his death date as 1776. No other evidence of those dates are known.[2]
Kiyohiro's personal name was Shichinosuke (七之助). He lived in the Sakaimachi area of
Edo (modern Tokyo) and was registered as a student of
Torii Kiyomasu I and likely studied under
Torii Kiyonobu II or
Torii Kiyomasu II.[2]Ernest Fenollosa considered him "of almost equal ability with" his contemporary
Torii Kiyomitsu, and speculated they may have been brothers.[3]
Kiyohiro's first known work appeared about 1751,[4] and the last about 1764. All of his known works are benizuri-e, and though the Torii school was known for its yakusha-e actor prints, Kiyohiro also specialized in bijin-ga prints of female beauties extending into some with erotic themes.[2] He specialized in designing prints in the ōban size.[4] Two of his major sponsors/printers were Sakai-ya of Hongoku-chō, and Hōsendō of Tōri Abura-chō, both in the close neighborhood of Ichimura and Nakamura kabuki theaters.[5]
Ichikawa Danjuro IV (l) and Nakamura Tomijuro I (r)[d]
Flower-like Lovers under a partially-closed Umbrella,[e] Brooklyn Museum
Sanogawa Ichimatsu (r) and Nakamura Tomijuro with an abacus (l). Rijksmuseum[f]
Nakamura Kiyosaburo as Omutsu collecting sea shells. [g]
Footnotes
Notes
^Two children playing shogi chess and a grown-up male reading a book. Inscription: “Let me see”, a dialogue on the lower left; artist’s name as Torii Kiyohiro (right-to-left, bottom); printer’s name as
#Sakaiya, Honkoku, bottom.
^Inscription: a waka poem, top half of the picture; artist’s name, bottom right.
^A set of three pictures. Right panel: A young vender selling crickets in basket, and a female customer holding a fan as a symbol for summer; a Haiku poem at the foot of the figures; artist’s name, lower right; printer’s name as Tōri Abura-chō, Yama Maruko-ban aka
#Hōsendō, bottom center. Middle panel: A female vender with flowers of early fall, and a customer dressed as a samurai with a katana sword; a Haiku poem, lower left; artist’s name, bottom right;
printer’s name, bottom left. Left panel: A male vender selling lanterns, and the female customer in kimono with morning glory design indicating it is summer/early fall; a Haiku poem to the left; artist’s name, bottom right;
printer’s name, bottom center.
^Two kabuki actors in front of a portable furnace. There are cherry blossoms and a twig of pine in the furnace. Inscription: Nakamura Tomijuro as Keishi, a kabuki role (left); a haiku poem (top middle); Ichikawa Danjuro as Sanjo, a kabuki role (right); artist’s name with two seals, bottom right;
printer’s name, bottom left.
^Inscriptions: Agemaki courtesan, Nakamura Tomijuro (middle right); a role name, Nakamura Shichisaburo (middle left); artist’s name with a seal (middle far right); printer’s name as Tōri Abura-chō,
#Hōsendō Maruya, yama Maruko-ban.
^Inscription: Ema Koshiro, the role name, Sanogawa Ichimatsu, a kabuki actor (top middle, right); Kisegawa, the role name, Nakamura Tomijuro, a kabuki actor (top middle, left); artist’s name, bottom right; printer’s name, Hammoto with red seal.
Rijksmuseum.
^Inscription: Omutsu, role name; Nakamura Kiyoshiro, kabuki actor (middle right); artist’s name (bottom left); printer’s name, Hongoku yon-chome,
#Sakai-ya, Hongoku (bottom right). Rijksmuseum.