TORA AND JURO

1800

Accepted as a Pupil of Toyokuni

The drawings of the young Sumida Shōgorō impressed Utagawa Toyokuni, head of the Utagawa school, who took him on as a pupil. From his teacher he received the name KUNIsada, whose first character is taken from the name ToyoKUNI.

1808

Beginning of Work as a Book Illustrator

From 1808 he worked as a book illustrator, and the popularity of his drawings grew year by year. In 1808 or 1809 his first series of portraits of theatre actors appeared.

1809

The "Star" of the Utagawa School

Contemporaries called him the "star" of the Utagawa school; his first bijin-ga series and a series of views of Edo appeared at the same time, and in 1810–1811 he was judged the equal in skill of his teacher Toyokuni.

from 1810

The Pseudonym Gogotei

He began using the pseudonym Gogotei (a hidden reference to his father's ferry business), which appears on nearly all his kabuki-themed prints up to 1842.

1813

Second Master of Ukiyo-e After Toyokuni

A contemporary ranking of the most important ukiyo-e masters placed Kunisada second only to his teacher Toyokuni — official recognition in the art world of Edo.

1835–1850

Monopoly on Prints Based on "The Tale of Genji"

From 1835 to 1850 he held a near-total monopoly on the genre of prints connected with "The Tale of Genji"; only after 1850 did other artists begin producing similar sheets.