Japanese print, Tournament of magicians, Ichikawa Kodanji, KUNISADA

Fine art print on Hahnemühle paper, Langlaude editions. Ready to frame.

Utagawa Kunisada, 1786-1865

Plate from the Tournament of Magicians series: the actor Ichikawa Kodanji in the role of Hokkesan Kesataro

Utagawa Kunisada, also known as Utagawa Toyokuni III, was one of the most popular ukiyo-e painters in 19th-century Japan. It is estimated that he produced more than 20,000 works during his lifetime.
Kunisada was not only a brilliant artist, but also an excellent businessman who met with enormous commercial success from the first publications of his portraits of kabuki actors in 1808. His reputation far exceeded that of his contemporaries, Hokusai, Hiroshige or Kuniyoshi.
This print is part of a series produced by Kunisada in his later years and considered one of the best and most creative.
Kunisada depicts kabuki actors, some of whom were very famous, in mystical, whimsical scenes drawn from old Japanese tales in which magic and strange creatures mingle.