Utagawa Kunimasa (歌川 国政, 1773 – December 26, 1810) was a Japanese
ukiyo-e artist of the
Utagawa school. He was originally from Aizu in
Iwashiro Province and first worked in a dye shop after arriving in
Edo (modern Tokyo). It was there that he was noticed by
Utagawa Toyokuni, to whom he became apprenticed.
Kunimasa is especially known for his yakusha-e portrait prints of
kabuki actors, and for his bijin-ga pictures of beautiful women.
Richard Lane described his style as striving to "combine the intensity of
Sharaku with the decorative pageantry of his master
Toyokuni".[1] Those who make such comparison often say he failed to achieve the level of Sharaku's intensity.