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Japan: 'An Unidentified Actor'. Ukiyo-e woodblock print by Katsukawa Shun'ei (1762-1819), late 18th - early 19th century.<br/><br/> Katsukawa Shun'ei (1762 - 13 December 1819), real name Isoda Shun'ei, was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist from Tokyo. He joined the Katsukawa school of ukiyo-e artists, and mainly designed <i>yakusha-e kabuki</i> portraits, though he also dabbled in <i>musha-e</i> warrior prints and prints of sumo wrestlers. He became head of the Katsukawa school in 1800.
Japan: 'Bando Hikosaburo III as Sugawara no Michizane, from the Kabuki play Sugawara's Secrets of Calligraphy (Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami)'. Ukiyo-e woodblock print by Katsukawa Shun'ei (1762-1819), c. 1800.<br/><br/> Katsukawa Shun'ei (1762 - 13 December 1819), real name Isoda Shun'ei, was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist from Tokyo. He joined the Katsukawa school of ukiyo-e artists, and mainly designed <i>yakusha-e kabuki</i> portraits, though he also dabbled in <i>musha-e</i> warrior prints and prints of sumo wrestlers. He became head of the Katsukawa school in 1800.
Japan: 'Portrait of Three Actors: Ichikawa Komazo II, Sakata Hangoro III and Nakayama Fukasaburo I'. Ukiyo-e woodblock print by Katsukawa Shun'ei (1762-1819), 1794.<br/><br/> Katsukawa Shun'ei (1762 - 13 December 1819), real name Isoda Shun'ei, was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist from Tokyo. He joined the Katsukawa school of ukiyo-e artists, and mainly designed <i>yakusha-e kabuki</i> portraits, though he also dabbled in <i>musha-e</i> warrior prints and prints of sumo wrestlers. He became head of the Katsukawa school in 1800.
Japan: 'Actor Sakata Hangoro III'. Ukiyo-e woodblock print by Katsukawa Shun'ei (1762-1819), c. 1790.<br/><br/> Katsukawa Shun'ei (1762 - 13 December 1819), real name Isoda Shun'ei, was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist from Tokyo. He joined the Katsukawa school of ukiyo-e artists, and mainly designed <i>yakusha-e kabuki</i> portraits, though he also dabbled in <i>musha-e</i> warrior prints and prints of sumo wrestlers. He became head of the Katsukawa school in 1800.
'Nakamura Shikan V (Nakamura Utaemon V) in Dojoji (A Maiden at Dojoji)' by Okada Saburosuke (1869-1939), 1908.<br/><br/> Okada Saburosuke (12 January 1869 - 23 September, 1939) was a Japanese yōga (Western-style) painter. He was influenced by great yōga painters such as Kuroda Seiki and Kume Keiichiro, and became one of the founding members of Hakuba-kai (White Horse Society), an artists' association. He was awarded the Order of Culture in 1937, the highest honour in the Japanese cultural world.
Japan: 'Shelter from the Rain, Encounters on the Road at New Year, No. 6: Actors Ichikawa Kodanji IV, Iwai Kumesaburo III, Bando Hikosaburo IV'. Part of triptych print by Utagawa Kunisada I (1786-1865), 1855. Utagawa Kunisada, also known as Utagawa Toyokuni III, was the most popular, prolific and financially successful designer of <i>ukiyo-e</i> woodblock prints in 19th-century Japan. In his own time, his reputation far exceeded that of his contemporaries, Hokusai, Hiroshige and Kuniyoshi. His favourite subjects were pleasure-houses and tea ceremonies.
Japan: 'Kanagawa Station: Actor Ichikawa Ebizo V as Ferryman Tonbei'. From the series 'Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido Road' by Utagawa Kunisada I (1786-1865), 1852. Utagawa Kunisada, also known as Utagawa Toyokuni III, was the most popular, prolific and financially successful designer of <i>ukiyo-e</i> woodblock prints in 19th-century Japan. In his own time, his reputation far exceeded that of his contemporaries, Hokusai, Hiroshige and Kuniyoshi. His favourite subjects were pleasure-houses and tea ceremonies.
Japan: 'Shelter from the Rain, Encounters on the Road at New Year, No. 5: Actors Arashi Kichisaburo III, Asao Okuyama III, Ichikawa Hirogoro I, Nakamura Daikichi III'. Part of triptych print by Utagawa Kunisada I (1786-1865), 1855. Utagawa Kunisada, also known as Utagawa Toyokuni III, was the most popular, prolific and financially successful designer of <i>ukiyo-e</i> woodblock prints in 19th-century Japan. In his own time, his reputation far exceeded that of his contemporaries, Hokusai, Hiroshige and Kuniyoshi. His favourite subjects were pleasure-houses and tea ceremonies.
Japan: 'Shelter from the Rain, Encounters on the Road at New Year, No. 4: Actors Sawamura Tossho II, Nakamura Tsuruzo I, Kawarazaki Gonjuro I'. Part of triptych print by Utagawa Kunisada I (1786-1865), 1855. Utagawa Kunisada, also known as Utagawa Toyokuni III, was the most popular, prolific and financially successful designer of <i>ukiyo-e</i> woodblock prints in 19th-century Japan. In his own time, his reputation far exceeded that of his contemporaries, Hokusai, Hiroshige and Kuniyoshi. His favourite subjects were pleasure-houses and tea ceremonies.
Japan: 'Ichikawa Ebizo IV as Takemura Sadanojo in the Play Koinyobo Somewake'. Woodblock print by Toshusai Sharaku (active 1794-1795), 1794. Tōshūsai Sharaku is widely considered to be one of the great masters of woodblock printing in Japan. Little is known of him, besides his <i>ukiyo-e</i> prints; neither his true name nor the dates of his birth or death are known with any certainty. His active career as a woodblock artist seems to have spanned just ten months in the mid-Edo period of Japanese history, from the middle of 1794 to early 1795.
Japan: 'Ichikawa Danjuro VII as Shimizu Yoshitaka'. Woodblock print by Utagawa Kuniyasu (1794-1832), 19th century. Utagawa Kuniyasu was a Japanese artist best known for his prints in the <i>ukiyo-e</i> style as a member of the Utagawa school. Few details are known of Kuniyasu's life. He was born in 1794 and had the given name Yasugorō. His teacher was the Utagawa school master Toyokuni.
Leopold I (1640-1705) was the second son of Emperor Ferdinand III, and became heir apparent after the death of his older brother, Ferdinand IV. He was elected Holy Roman Emperor in 1658 after his father's death, and by then had also become Archduke of Austria and claimed the crowns of Germany, Croatia, Bohemia and Hungary.
Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1865), also known as Utagawa Toyokuni III, was the most popular and prolific designer of Ukiyo-e woodblock prints in 19th-century Japan. His reputation and financial success far exceeded those of his contemporaries.<br/><br/> Surprisingly, not many details of Kunisada's life are recorded, aside from a few well-established events. He was born in 1786 in Honjo, a district of Edo (now Tokyo), with the given name Sumida Shogoro IX. His family owned a fairly successful ferry-boat service, and he soon developed an artistic talent as he grew up. So impressive were his early sketches that he caught the eye of Toyokuni, great master of the Utagawa school, who soon took him as an apprentice.<br/><br/> His skills and renown quickly grew, and he became head of the Utagawa school in 1825, where he would teach and design woodblock prints until his death in 1865, having produced the largest collection of woodblock prints of any designer in 19th-century Japan.
Utagawa Kunisada (1786 – January 12, 1865), also known as Utagawa Toyokuni III) was the most popular, prolific and financially successful designer of ukiyo-e woodblock prints in 19th-century Japan. In his own time, his reputation far exceeded that of his contemporaries, Hokusai, Hiroshige and Kuniyoshi.<br/><br/> Surprisingly, not many details of Kunisada's life are recorded, aside from a few well-established events. He was born in 1786 in Honjo, a district of Edo, with the given name Sumida Shogoro IX. His family owned a fairly successful ferry-boat service, and he soon developed an artistic talent as he grew up. So impressive were his early sketches that he caught the eye of Toyokuni, great master of the Utagawa School, who soon took him on as an apprentice.<br/><br/> His skills and renown quickly grew, and he became head of the Utagawa School in 1825, where he would teach and design woodblock prints until his death in 1865, having achieved the largest collection of woodblock prints of any designer in 19th-century Japan.
Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1865), also known as Utagawa Toyokuni III, was the most popular and prolific designer of Ukiyo-e woodblock prints in 19th-century Japan. His reputation and financial success far exceeded those of his contemporaries.<br/><br/> He was born in 1786 in Honjo, a district of Edo (now Tokyo), with the given name Sumida Shogoro IX. His family owned a fairly successful ferry-boat service, and he soon developed an artistic talent as he grew up. So impressive were his early sketches that he caught the eye of Toyokuni, great master of the Utagawa school, who soon took him as an apprentice.<br/><br/> His skills and renown quickly grew, and he became head of the Utagawa school in 1825, where he would teach and design woodblock prints until his death in 1865, having produced the largest collection of woodblock prints of any designer in 19th-century Japan.
Japan: 'Actor Ichikawa Danjuro VIII (1823-1854) in a Loin-Cloth', woodblock print by Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1865), 1857. Ichikawa Danjūrō was a Japanese kabuki actor of the prestigious Ichikawa Danjūrō line.<br/><br/> Utagawa Kunisada, also as known as Utagawa Toyokuni III, was the most popular and prolific designer of Ukiyo-e woodblock prints during 19th-century Japan. His reputation and financial success far exceeded those of his fellow contemporaries.
Japan: 'The Actor Sakata Hangoro III in the Role of a Yakko'. Ukiyo-e woodblock print by Katsukawa Shun'ei (1762-1819), c. 1788-1792.<br/><br/> Katsukawa Shun'ei (1762 - 13 December 1819), real name Isoda Shun'ei, was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist from Tokyo. He joined the Katsukawa school of ukiyo-e artists, and mainly designed <i>yakusha-e kabuki</i> portraits, though he also dabbled in <i>musha-e</i> warrior prints and prints of sumo wrestlers. He became head of the Katsukawa school in 1800.
Monaco is a sovereign city-state and microstate, located on the French Riviera in Western Europe. It is bordered by France on three sides; one side borders the Mediterranean Sea. Monaco has an area of 2.02 km2 (0.78 sq mi) and a population of 36,371; it is the second smallest and the most densely populated country in the world.<br/><br/> Monaco is a principality governed under a form of constitutional monarchy, with Prince Albert II as head of state. Although Prince Albert II is a constitutional monarch, he wields immense political power. The House of Grimaldi have ruled Monaco, with brief interruptions, since 1297. The official language is French, but Monégasque, Italian, and English are widely spoken and understood.<br/><br/> Economic development was spurred in the late 19th century with the opening of the country's first casino, Monte Carlo, and a railway connection to Paris. Since then, Monaco's mild climate, splendid scenery, and upscale gambling facilities have contributed to the principality's status as a premier tourist destination and recreation center for the rich and famous. In more recent years Monaco has become a major banking center and has successfully sought to diversify its economy into services and small, high-value-added, non-polluting industries. The state has no income tax, low business taxes, and is well known for being a tax haven.
Japan: 'Actor Onoe Kikujiro II as Fusahachi's Wife Onui'. From the series 'The Book of the Eight Dog Heroes' by Utagawa Kunisada II (1823-1880), 1852. Utagawa Kunisada II was a Japanese <i>ukiyo-e</i> printmaker, one of three to take the name 'Utagawa Kunisada'.<br/><br/> Kunisada II is renowned for his prints. His favourite subjects were pleasure-houses and tea ceremonies. These themes are sometimes found together in some of his prints, as geishas usually acted as chaperones at tea-houses.
Toyohara Kunichika (30 June 1835 – 1 July 1900) was a Japanese woodblock print artist. Talented as a child, at about thirteen he became a student of Tokyo's then-leading print maker, Utagawa Kunisada. His deep appreciation and knowledge of kabuki drama led to his production primarily of ukiyo-e actor-prints, which are woodblock prints of kabuki actors and scenes from popular plays of the time.<br/><br/> A drinker and womanizer, Kunichika also portrayed women deemed beautiful (<i>bijinga</i>), contemporary social life, and a few landscapes and historical scenes. He worked successfully in the Edo period, and carried those traditions into the Meiji period. To his contemporaries and now to some modern art historians, this has been seen as a significant achievement during a transitional period of great social and political change in Japan's history.
Hugh Clifford intended to follow his father, a distinguished colonial general, into the British Army, but later decided to join the civil service in the Straits Settlements, with the assistance of his relative Sir Frederick Weld, the then Governor of the Straits Settlements and also the British High Commissioner in Malaya. He was later transferred to the British Protectorate of the Federated Malay States. Clifford arrived in Malaya in 1883, aged 17.<br/><br/>He first became a cadet in the State of Perak. During his twenty years in Perak, Clifford socialised with the local Malays and studied their language and culture deeply. He served as British Resident at Pahang, 1896–1900 and 1901–1903, and Governor of North Borneo, 1900–1901.<br/><br/>In 1903, he left Malaya to take the post of Colonial Secretary of Trinidad. Later he was appointed Governor of the Gold Coast, 1912–1919, Nigeria, 1919–1925, and Ceylon, 1925–1927. He continued to write stories and novels about Malayan life. His last posting was as Governor of the Straits Settlements and British High Commissioner in Malaya from 1927 until 1930. He wrote Farther India, which chronicles European explorations and discoveries in Southeast Asia.
Prints commemorating the death of an actor, artist, or musician were called shini-e (memorial portrait). Conventional shini-e portrayed memorialized figures in light blue court robes called shini sōzoku (death dresses) or ceremonial attire called mizu kamishimo (often associated with ritual suicide, called seppuku). Many shini-e included the dates of death, age, posthumous Buddhist name (kaimyo), and temple burial site, while some had death poems (jisei) by the deceased or memorial poems written by family, friends, colleagues, or fans.<br/><br/> Ichikawa Ebizō V (1791 - 1859) was a celebrated tachiyaku (an actor who specializes in male roles), and probably the most popular Kabuki actor of the nineteenth century. He was a scion of the great Ichikawa family of actors; although his father was a low-ranking samurai, his maternal grandfather was the great actor Ichikawa Danjūrō V.
Utagawa Kuniyoshi (歌川 国芳, January 1, 1797 - April 14, 1862) was one of the last great masters of the Japanese ukiyo-e style of woodblock prints and painting. He is associated with the Utagawa school.<br/><br/> The range of Kuniyoshi's preferred subjects included many genres: landscapes, beautiful women, Kabuki actors, cats, and mythical animals. He is known for depictions of the battles of samurai and legendary heroes. His artwork was affected by Western influences in landscape painting and caricature.
Kabuki (歌舞伎 kabuki?) is a classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.<br/><br/> The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing (歌), dance (舞), and skill (伎). Kabuki is therefore sometimes translated as the art of singing and dancing'. These are, however, ateji characters which do not reflect actual etymology. The kanji of 'skill' generally refers to a performer in kabuki theatre. Since the word kabuki is believed to derive from the verb kabuku, meaning 'to be out of the ordinary', kabuki can be interpreted as 'avant-garde' theatre.
The British conquest of Burma began in 1824 in response to a Burmese attempt to invade India. By 1886, and after two further wars, Britain had incorporated the entire country into the British Raj. To stimulate trade and facilitate changes, the British brought in Indians and Chinese, who quickly displaced the Burmese in urban areas. To this day Rangoon and Mandalay have large ethnic Indian populations. Railways and schools were built, as well as a large number of prisons, including the infamous Insein Prison, then as now used for political prisoners.<br/><br/> Burmese resentment was strong and was vented in violent riots that paralysed Rangoon on occasion all the way until the 1930s. Burma was administered as a province of British India until 1937 when it became a separate, self-governing colony. Burma finally gained independence from Britain on January 4, 1948.
Ichikawa Omezou (市川男女蔵) in the role of Yakko Ippei (奴一平).<br/><br/> Tōshūsai Sharaku (東洲斎 写楽, active 1794 - 1795) is widely considered to be one of the great masters of the woodblock printing in Japan. Little is known of him, besides his ukiyo-e prints; neither his true name nor the dates of his birth or death are known with any certainty. His active career as a woodblock artist seems to have spanned just ten months in the mid-Edo period of Japanese history, from the middle of 1794 to early 1795.
Japan: An erotic depiction of a man and a woman engaging in a wrestling match with a second woman acting as a referee. Shunga woodblock print, c. 1772. Shunga is a Japanese term for erotic art. Most shunga are a type of ukiyo-e, usually executed in woodblock print format. While rare, there are extant erotic painted handscrolls which predate the Ukiyo-e movement. Translated literally, the Japanese word shunga means picture of spring; 'spring' is a common euphemism for sex.
Japan: 'Portrait of Actor Sawamura Sojuro III in the Role of Kakogawa Honzo'. Ukiyo-e woodblock print by Katsukawa Shun'ei (1762-1819), 1795.<br/><br/> Katsukawa Shun'ei (1762 - 13 December 1819), real name Isoda Shun'ei, was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist from Tokyo. He joined the Katsukawa school of ukiyo-e artists, and mainly designed <i>yakusha-e kabuki</i> portraits, though he also dabbled in <i>musha-e</i> warrior prints and prints of sumo wrestlers. He became head of the Katsukawa school in 1800.
Japan: Woodblock print of the actor Segawa Kikunojo V (1802-1832) in the role of the courtesan Oiso no Tora, by Yashima Gakutei (1786-1868), 1823, Rikjsmuseum, Amsterdam. Yashima Gakutei was a Japanese artist and poet of the 19th century. Born in Osaka, Gakutei was the illegitimate son of a samurai, and spent much of his early life working on woodblock prints in Osaka. He eventually studied under renowned woodblock printers Totoya Hokkei and Hokusai.
Japan: 'The Actor Otani Onji with Raised Sword, Standing by a Gate; by Night'. Ukiyo-e woodblock print by Katsukawa Shun'ei (1762-1819), c. 1793-1797.<br/><br/> Katsukawa Shun'ei (1762 - 13 December 1819), real name Isoda Shun'ei, was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist from Tokyo. He joined the Katsukawa school of ukiyo-e artists, and mainly designed <i>yakusha-e kabuki</i> portraits, though he also dabbled in <i>musha-e</i> warrior prints and prints of sumo wrestlers. He became head of the Katsukawa school in 1800.