歌川国芳

Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798–1861) dominated the late Edo period as one of ukiyo-e's most inventive masters. Born in Edo to a silk-dyer's family, he apprenticed to the celebrated Utagawa Toyokuni at fifteen and struggled for years before a series on the Suikoden heroes catapulted him to fame in the 1820s. His warrior prints—dynamic, densely composed, featuring legendary samurai in spectacular combat—redefined the genre.