Kuniyoshi’s seals
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Kuniyoshi
used many different personal seals, which he often affixed to his artwork
near his signature. Prior to 1844,
Kuniyoshi used some variant of the Toshidama seal,
which was the heraldic device of the Utagawa school. In 1844, Kunisada, a competitor of
Kuniyoshi, proclaimed himself the head of the Utagawa school, and adopted the
name Toyokuni, which was the name of the previous
leader of the school. Kuniyoshi
responded by severing his relationship with the school and stopped using the Toshidama seal.
Thereafter, he used the Yoshi kiri
(paulownia flower) seal. Prior to,
during, and after 1844, he also used seals with some variant of his own name,
often in seal script. |
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Two examples of Ichiyusai Kuniyoshi
written in seal script |
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c. 1822-1843 |
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Ichiyusai Kuniyoshi c. 1828-1830 |
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Ichiyusai Kuniyoshi c. 1829-1849 |
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Ichiyusai Kuniyoshi c. 1829-1849 |
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Ichiyusai c. 1830-1843 |
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Toshidama seal c. 1832-1844 |
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Ichiyusai c. 1834 |
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Yutaka (ゆたか) c. 1834 Yutaka can mean abundant or wealthy, and it can also be a given
or surname. |
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Yanagi (やなキ) c. 1834 Yanagi means willow and can also be a surname. |
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Toshidama seal c. 1834-1847 |
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Toshidama seal c. 1835 |
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Ichiyusai c. 1835 |
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Ichiyusai c. 1835 |
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Ichiyusai c. 1835 |
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c. 1835 |
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c. 1835 |
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Toshidama seal c. 1835-1838 |
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Ichiyu (一勇) c. 1838 |
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Kuni Kuni (国国) c. 1838 |
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Kuniyoshi c. 1838 |
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Kuniyoshi c. 1838 |
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Kuniyoshi c. 1838 |
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Kuniyoshi (國芳) c. 1838 |
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Kuniyoshi c. 1838 |
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Ichiyusai c. 1838-1842 |
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Ichiyusai c. 1838-1842 |
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c. 1838-1845 |
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Toshidama seal 1840s |
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Toshidama seal c. 1840-1842 |
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Yutaka (ゆたか) c. 1840-1842 |
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Kuniyoshi (国芳) c. 1840-1842 |
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This signature and seals are from Kuniyoshi’s print of Chûnagon Yakamochi, from the
series “The Hundred Poets”, c. 1840-1842 |
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Triple Toshidama seal c. 1842 |
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Kuniyoshi c. 1843 |
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Kuniyoshi c. 1843 |
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c. 1843 |
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Kuniyoshi c. 1843-1846 |
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Yoshi kiri (paulownia flower) seal c. 1844-1861 |
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Yutaka (ゆたか) c. 1845 |
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Kuniyoshi c. 1847 |
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Chô-ô-rô c. 1847-1850 |
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Kuniyoshi c. 1848-1850 |
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Ichiyusai Kuniyoshi Early 1850s |
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Kuniyoshi c. 1850 |
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Kuniyoshi c. 1854 |
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Kun-ni-yo-shi
(君仁夜志) c. 1859 |
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Date unknown |
