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Konishi Hirosada was the most prolific Osaka-based designer of ukiyo-e woodblock prints during the late Edo period. Like most producers of kamigata-e) - prints originating in the Osaka and Kyoto regions - he specialized in yakusha-e actor prints. Hirosada is particularly known for his diptychs and triptychs, and for his many okubi-e portraits of the leading actors on the Osaka kabuki stage during his day.<br/><br/> In keeping with the custom for Edo period artists, Hirosada used a number of different go art names throughout his career, including Gosotei Hirosadao, Gorakutei Hirosada and Utagawa Hirosada.
The print depicts a shrine to Benzeiten, one of the Seven Gods of Good Fortune. Benzaiten (弁才天, 弁財天) is the Japanese name for the Hindu goddess Saraswati. Worship of Benzaiten arrived in Japan during the 6th through 8th centuries, mainly via the Chinese translations of the Sutra of Golden Light, which has a section devoted to her. She is also mentioned in the Lotus Sutra and often depicted holding a biwa, a traditional Japanese lute, in contrast to Saraswati who holds a stringed instrument known as a veena. Benzaiten is a highly syncretic entity with both a Buddhist and a Shinto side.<br/><br/> Utagawa Hiroshige (歌川 広重, 1797 – October 12, 1858) was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist, and one of the last great artists in that tradition. He was also referred to as Andō Hiroshige (安藤 広重) (an irregular combination of family name and art name) and by the art name of Ichiyūsai Hiroshige (一幽斎廣重).
Samurai is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. By the end of the 12th century, samurai became almost entirely synonymous with bushi, and the word was closely associated with the middle and upper echelons of the warrior class.<br/><br/> The samurai followed a set of rules that came to be known as Bushidō. While they numbered less than ten percent of Japan's population, samurai teachings can still be found today in both everyday life and in martial arts such as Kendō, meaning the way of the sword.
Konishi Hirosada (ca. 1810-1864) (Japanese: 小西 廣貞), also known as Gosōtei Hirosada, was a designer of ukiyo-e Japanese woodblock prints in Osaka. His artist name was originally Sadahiro (貞廣), but he changed the sequence of syllables in 1847. One theory suggests he did this to evade censorship, but it was not unheard of for Japanese artists to change their art names for more whimsical reasons.<br/><br/> Hirosada was a member of the Osaka school of artists, which specialized in prints of actors. In the late 1840s and early 1850s, he was the leading figure in the Osaka school. For unknown reasons, Hirosada ceased designing prints in 1853 and gave his name to his protégé, who is now known as Hirosada II.