Kabuki Actors as Otomo Gyobu Munetsura and Nirasawa Natsunosuke

Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1865), 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.

Kunisada displayed a talent for painting and drawing at a very young age. His early sketches impressed Toyokuni I, the great master of the Utagawa School, and prominent designer of kabuki and actor-portrait prints. In 1800, or shortly thereafter, Kunisada was accepted by Toyokuni I as an apprentice in his workshop. In keeping with a tradition of Japanese master-apprentice relations, he was then given the official artist name of "KUNI-sada", the first character of which was derived from the second part of the name "Toyo-KUNI".

Following the traditional teachings of the Utagawa School, Kunisada's main focus was kabuki and actor prints. During his lifetime Kunisada produced an estimated 20,000 woodblock prints.