By the mid-1880s Yoshitoshi had around eighty students; he reportedly had over two hundred students over his lifetime, of whom he gave gō to “at least sixty of them”. (Keyes, pg. 535) On some series, they collaborated with him, so the tables below give information on the full names, dates, sample signatures, etc of some of Yoshitoshi’s students.
Some of Yoshitoshi’s students went on to become influential themselves; some had numerous students of their own, including Toshikata (15 students), Toshihide (16 students), and Toshitsune. Others were more obscure; over half the students listed on Yoshitoshi’s 1898 memorial are known only by name, and not from any works.
He also gave gō to people who were not, strictly speaking, students, including two of his publishers: Matsui Eikichi, who published many of Yoshitoshi’s vertical diptychs in the 1880s, who received the gō Nenyō (年葉); and Akiyama Buemon, publisher of the series ‘100 Aspects of the Moon’.
Names are given in Japanese order (i.e. family name first). Entries are ordered alphabetically by the gō given them by Yoshitoshi, even if this is not the name by which they are best known. In a few cases, students were not given gō by him, in which case their most common gō is used. When they are best known by another name, that name is given first in the list of alternate names, delineated with a “:”.
Other names, when included, include:
- Family names (氏 – SHI or uji), listed in bold
- Given names (名 – na or 名乗 – nanori, the latter being archaic; 俗名 – zokumyō; and tsushō), listed in italics
- Gō (号), listed in normal font.
(As the period covered here crosses the Meiji Restoration, when reforms of the naming system for lower-class individuals happened, the terminology above is necessarily a short gloss on a complex situation.)
The list also includes a number of artists who have not been confirmed as students of Yoshitoshi, but have gō which start with the character 年. They have been included as they are likely students of his; indeed, Keyes indicates (pg. 535) that “all artists of the late nineteenth century whose names begin with the[] syllables [‘Yoshi’] are his pupils.”
| Full name | Kanji | Other names | Dates | Brief Bio |
| Kobayashi Eitaku | 小林 永濯 | Shūjirō, Tokusen Sensai, Issensai, Baikodō, Kadō, Mugyo |
1843-1890 |
He was born in Edo, and was the son of a fish-merchant. He studied with Kanō Eitoku Tatsunobu (Keyes seems to be in error in giving this name as “Tsunenobu”), and was adopted by Kanō Eishin; worked as an official painter for the Ii family, lords of Hikone. He studied and travelled with Yoshitoshi in the early 1870s, but the two later fell out. His well-known pupil, Tomioka Eisen (1864-1905) helped pay for Yoshitoshi’s memorial.
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| Kasai Hōsai | 笠井 鳳斎 |
A student of Yoshitoshi in the 1880s.
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| Yamanaka Kodō | 山中 古洞 | Satō Noboru Tatsushige (辰重), Tatsujū |
1869-1945 |
Studied with Yoshitoshi in the 1880s; he later wrote a biography of Yoshitoshi which is one of our most important sources of information about Yoshitoshi. Merritt, “Woodblock Kuchi-e Prints”, includes a somewhat lengthy biographical note (pg. 222). Merritt and Yamada, “Guide to Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints: 1900-1975”, gives Shō as his given name, but this may be incorrect, as the later work makes no mention of it.
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| Saitō Nengyo | 斉藤 年魚 |
A student of Yoshitoshi in the 1880s.
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| Ozaki Nenka | 尾崎 年華 |
Shōgorō, Chōsai, Sanyō
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Son of Utagawa Kunitane.
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| Nishii Nenkan | 西井年寛 | Kinsai: Yūzō |
A student of Yoshitoshi in the 1880s, who arranged for him to study painting with Mori Kansai in Kyōto.
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| Hanawa Nenkō | 花輪 年香 | |||
| Nenkō | 年幸 |
Possibly Toshiyoshi (alternate reading for 年幸)
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Possibly an erroneous catalogue entry.
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| Katsura Nenkyo | 桂 年擧 | Sōsuke Tsunehide, Gyokuto |
died ca. 1897 |
Originally a pupil of Toshitsune, he studied with Yoshitoshi, and after his death, with Gyokushō. He assisted Yoshitoshi by filling in backgrounds, and similar detail work.
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| Matsui Nenyō | 年 | |||
| Eda Nenshō | 枝 年祥 |
Utagawa, Iwajirō
Kunitama, Hōsai (寳斎), Ippōsai |
A student of Kunisada, he worked as Kunitama in the 1860s and 1870s. After adopting Toshimasa, he received the name Nenshō. He worked as a hanshita-eshi.
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| Toshiaki | 年明 | An early student. | ||
| Nakazawa Toshiaki | 中沢 年章 | Yūsai (幽斎), Nenkō (年甲) | 1864-1921 |
He was born in Yamanashi Prefecture, in the heart of Japan, to the west of Edo. He was better known as a traditional Japanese painter than as a woodblock artist. His specialties were bijin-ga, and images of both historical and contemporary people, particularly action scenes, which showed his excellent drawing ability.
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| Toshichika | 年親 | |||
| Toshiei | 年 | fl. ca. late 1800s | ||
| Toshiharu | 年晴 | |||
| Migita Toshihide | 右田 年英 | Toyohiko Bansuirō (晩翠楼), Gosai (悟斎), Ichieisai (一潁 斎), Uda |
1863-1925 |
He was born in Oita Prefecture, on the southern island of Kyūshū, on the Inland Sea. He studied realistic Western-style painting with Kunisawa Shinkurō (leading to his own later Westernized style); after his death, he studied with Honda Kinkichirō. He later became a student of Yoshitoshi, at the age of seventeen. He produced prints in many genres: yakusha-e. bijin-ga. Sino-Japanese war prints (in the 1890s), newspaper illustrations (for the Asahi Shimbun), and also a few kuchi-e.
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| Toshihide?* | 年秀 |
It is not clear if this is same ‘Toshihide’ as the entry above (or even if ‘hide’ is the correct reading for the second character; other possibilities are ‘SHŪ’ and ‘sugu’).Note: This image (in red) is probably not his signature; rather, it’s likely his name written by Yoshitoshi.
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| Toshihiro?* | 年広 |
Note: not necessarily a student of Yoshitoshi.
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| Tsukioka Toshihisa | 月岡年之 | Kōgyo (耕漁): Sakamaki Bennosuke |
1869-1927 |
Originally the son of innkeepers in Nihonbashi, he became Yoshitoshi’s step-son at fifteen, when his mother Sakamaki Taiko married Yoshitoshi in 1884. In addition to studying with his step-father, he also studied with Ogata Gekkō; his gō of Kōgyo was given to him by Gekkō. In addition to some kacho-e, he is best known for his prints of the Noh theatre; he was a good enough artist to inherit Yoshitoshi’s artist seals in October, 1910.
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| Toshihisa | 年之 |
Little is known of this second Toshihisa.
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| Toshihito (or possibly Toshisuke) | 年人 | |||
| Kanaki Toshikage | 年景 | fl. ca. 1890s |
One of Yoshitoshi’s earliest pupils, he is little known except for his famous memorial portrait of his master.Note: The second image (in red) is probably not his signature; rather, it’s likely his name written by Yoshitoshi.
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| Mizuno Toshikata | 水野 年方 | Nonako Kumejirō Shōsetsu (蕉雪) |
1866-1908 |
Mizuno Toshikata was the son of a Tōkyō plasterer who was apprenticed to Yoshitoshi in 1879, at the age of 13. After that, he studied ceramic painting with Yamada Ryūtō, and at the age of 20 became a porcelain painter, eventually rising to become a section chief at a Satsuma-ware factory. Shortly afterwards, dissatisfied with that, he returned to painting under Yoshitoshi, and also studied with Shibata Hōshū, Watanabe Shōtei and Mishima Sōshō; Yoshitoshi announced that he would be his successor. He also worked as an illustrator (he succeeded Yoshitoshi as illustrator for the Yamato shinbun in 1887, working there until 1894) and print maker, producing many Sino-Japanese war prints, as well as prints of beautiful women, children, and numerous kuchi-e. At the turn of the century, he worked as a designer for a department store. He died young, at 42, reportedly from overwork.Merritt, “Woodblock Kuchi-e Prints”, includes a somewhat lengthy biographical note (pp. 209-210). Some sources spell his given name as Kunejirō; this is less likely to be correct.
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| Oguri? Toshikazu | 年一 |
Merritt contains a reference to an Oguri Toshikazu, but it’s not known if that is this Toshikazu.Note: The third image (in red) is probably not his signature; rather, it’s likely his name written by Yoshitoshi.
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| Toshikazu?* | 年数 |
Note: not necessarily a student of Yoshitoshi.
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| Toshikazu? | 年 |
Possibly an alternate reading for Toshimitsu (below)?
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| Toshikoto | 年 | |||
| Katō Toshikuni | 加藤 年洲 |
Nenshū (alternate reading for 年洲)
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He studied pottery with Takeuchi Keishū (Toshisuke), whome he introduced to Yoshitoshi.
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| Fuse Toshimaro | 年麿 |
Yoshitoshi’s first pupil.Some sources give an alternative reading of ‘Toshimaru’ for this gō.
Note: This image (in red) is probably not his signature; rather, it’s likely his name written by Yoshitoshi. |
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| Fukushima Toshimaru | 福嶋 年丸 | Seijirō |
A student in the 1880s.
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| Utagawa Toshimasa | 歌川 年昌 | fl. ca. mid-1890s | ||
| Tsutsui Toshimine | 筒井 年峰 年峯 | Yūzō | 1863-1934 |
He was born in Hyōgo Prefecture, which stretches from Kobe on the Inland Sea to the Sea of Japan, in the center of the main island, Honshū. He was probably a pupil of Yoshitoshi, because his name is inscribed on the latter’s memorial. He worked as kuchi-e illustrator, and also for newspapers and magazines; at the end of the first decade of the new century he was illustrating novels.He used both forms of the ‘mine’ character in signing his works.
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| Kobayashi Toshimitsu | 古林 年充 or 年光 | Eisei or possibly Hidenari (栄成) Kōsai (高斎), Shinsai (進斎) |
fl. 1871-1904 |
It is thought that all of these names refer to one person, who used the gō Kōsai (and the first characters for ‘Toshimitsu’) from 1871-1877, and the gō Shinsai (and latter characters for ‘Toshimitsu’) from 1877-1904. See this page for more.
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| Teisai? Toshimitsu | 年参 |
Nensan (alternate reading for 年参)
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This may be a different person from the Toshimitsu above; sources differ.
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| Suzuki Toshimoto | 鈴木 年基 | Sessai | fl. ca. 1880s-1890s |
He was born in Osaka. His favorite subjects were historical and social scenes; he also produced several war prints during the Satsuma Rebellion.
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| Shimane Toshinaka | 年中 |
See entry for “Shimane Toshitada” (below)
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This identification is from Merritt, “Woodblock Kuchi-e Prints”.
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| Shibata Toshindo | 柴田 年人 |
The wife of a well-known artist.
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| Kifuji Toshinobu | 木藤 年延 |
An early student.Note: This image (in red) is probably not his signature; rather, it’s likely his name written by Yoshitoshi.
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| Yamazaki Toshinobu | 山崎 年信 | Tokusaburō Sensai, Shunkō |
1857-1886 |
He was initially a pupil of Utagawa Kunisada, and later of Yoshitoshi. After a scandal involving a batch of prints he mis-appropriated, he left and moved to Kyōto. He lived and worked as a printmaker in both Tōkyō and Yokohama; in the latter location as a member of the Yokohama school. He also produced illustrations for books and newspapers.
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| Shirai Toshinobu | 白井 年信 | Taguchi, Shinjirō Kuniume (国梅) |
1866-1903 |
He later studied with Kansai, Chokusei, and Gyokushō, but eventually wound up starting a correspondence course in Japanese painting.
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| Yamada Toshisada | 山田 年貞 | |||
| Toshishige | 年重? | |||
| Toshishige?* | 年茂 |
Note: not necessarily a student of Yoshitoshi.Possibly the same person as above, whose kanji has been incorrectly guessed as being the one usually used in the Utagawa school for -shige?
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| Toshisue?* | 年季 |
Note: not necessarily a student of Yoshitoshi.
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| Takeuchi Toshisuke | 武内 年甫 | Keishū (桂舟): Shinpei |
1861-1943 |
He was not really a student of Yoshitoshi; he received his gō from Yoshitoshi through a misunderstanding. He came by to visit one day, and Yoshitoshi mistook his purpose. They later became good friends, and his name appears on Yoshitoshi’s memorial, indicating that in some sense he was a member of his school; this is somewhat ironic, as his style to some degree replaced that of Yoshitoshi in public esteem. The second son of the retainer of a daimyo in what is now Wakayama Prefecture, he initially trained in the classical Kanō school of painting. Unable to find work in that field, he worked as a porcelain painter, then a painter of hanshita, and later of an extensive number of kuchi-e.
Merritt, “Woodblock Kuchi-e Prints”, includes a somewhat lengthy biographical note (pp. 216-217). One sometimes sees his name given as Ginpei or Shimpei. |
| Shimane Toshitada | 島根 年忠 | Yamada Keichū (山田 敬中): Chūzō Katoku (可得), Nanshi (南志), Nansai (南斎) |
1868-1934 |
Born in Tōkyō, after studying with Yoshitoshi, he also studied with Kawabata Gyokushō. He became a teacher at the Tōkyō School of Fine Arts, but left, and participated in founding the Japan Art Institute. He seems to have worked mostly as a painter, not in prints.
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| Fuse?* Toshitaka | 布施 年鷹 | |||
| Toshitama | 年 | |||
| Toshitane | 年種 |
At one point, he worked painting under-glaze decorations on ceramics.
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| Toshitei?* | 年貞 |
Note: not necessarily a student of Yoshitoshi.
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| Toshitoyo?* | 年豊 | |||
| Toshitsugu | 年次 |
Note: This image (in red) is probably not his signature; rather, it’s likely his name written by Yoshitoshi.
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| Toshitsuki | 年月 |
Nengetsu (alternate reading of 年月)
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| Inano Toshitsune | 稲野 年恒 | Takebe Takayuki Insai (胤斎), Kitaume/Hokubai (北梅), Kagasenjin (可雅賎人) |
1859-1907 |
Born in Kaga Province, he started studying at the age of 15 with Yoshitoshi, and later was a pupil of Kōno Bairei in Kyōto. He later moved to Ōsaka, where he was a neo-ukiyo-e painter; he worked as an illustrator for newspapers (including the Osaka Mainchi Shimbun and Asahi Shimbun, after 1893), and also illustrated several kuchi-e.Some sources give his birth year as 1858, but this may be an issue with the end of year calendar mismatch.
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| Toshiume | 年楳 | |||
| Toshiyasu | 年保 |
Kyōsai, Nempo (alternate reading of 年保)
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| Arai Toshiyuki | 年雪 | Shujirō Nenshi (年雪), Yoshimune, Isshōsai |
1863-1941 |
The youngest son of Utagawa Yoshimune I, he became a pupil of Yoshitoshi at the age of thirteen. After his father’s death in 1880, he took the name of Utagawa Yoshimune II in 1882 (some sources give 1881, and say he became Yoshimine III), along with his father’s gō Isshōsai.Note: This image (in red) is probably not his signature; rather, it’s likely his name written by Yoshitoshi.
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| Hattori Toshiyuki | 服部 年之 |
Toshikore (alternate reading for 年之), Nenshi (alternate reading for 年之)
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A student in the 1880s; he apparently produced no prints.
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| Toshiyoshi | 年芳? | fl. ca. 1890s |
He had a personality conflict with Yoshitoshi, and left the studio and lived in the provinces for many years, before returning in the 1880s.
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Sources
These lists are not exhaustive.
English
The single most comprehensive source is Keyes’ Ph.D. thesis:
- Roger. S. Keyes, “Courage and Silence: A Study of the Life and Color Woodblock Prints of Tsukioka Yoshitoshi 1839-1892“, Cinncinnati, 1982
on pages 534-556. Other sources include:
- Richard Lane, “Images from the Floating World“, Chartwell Books, Secaucus, 1978
- Julia Meech-Pekarik, “The World of the Meiji Print: Impressions of a New Civilization“, Weatherhill, New York, 1987
- Helen Merritt, “Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints: The Early Years“, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, 1990
- Helen Merritt, Nanako Yamada, “Guide to Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints: 1900-1975“, University of Hawai’i, Honolulu, 1992
- Helen Merritt, Nanako Yamada, “Woodblock Kuchi-E Prints: Reflections of Meiji Culture“, University of Hawai’i, Honolulu, 2000
- Charlotte van Rappard-Boon, “The Age of Yoshitoshi: Japanese Prints From the Meiji and Taisho Periods (Catalog of the Collection of Japanese Prints, Rijksmuseum, Part V)“, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, 1990
- Laurance P. Roberts, “A Dictionary of Japanese Artists: Painting, Sculpture, Ceramics, Prints, Lacquer“, Weatherhill, New York, 1976
- James Self, Nobuko Hirose, “Japanese Art Signatures: A Handbook and Practical Guide“, Charles E. Tuttle, Rutland, 1987
Japanese
- “原色浮世絵大百科 (Genshoku ukiyo-e dai hyakka jiten, Great Ukiyo-e Encyclopedia)”, Taishukan Shoten, Tokyo, 1980-1982
- “浮世絵師便覧 (Ukiyo-e shi benran, Ukiyo-e Master’s Manual)”
