Konishi Hirosada

Woodblock diptych by Hirosada I showing actors Nakamura Utaemon IV as Katô Masakiyo (right) and Nakamura Tomosa II as the boatman Yojibei (left) in the kabuki play Keisei Kiyome no Funauta, (1)1851

Konishi Hirosada (ca. 1810-1864) (Japanese: 小西 廣貞), also known as Gosōtei Hirosada, was a designer of ukiyo-e Japanese woodblock prints in Osaka. His artist name was originally Sadahiro (貞廣), but he changed the sequence of syllables in 1847. One theory suggests he did this to evade censorship, but it was not unheard of for artists to change their art names for more whimsical reasons.

Hirosada was a member of the Osaka school of artists, which specialized in prints of actors. In the late 1840s and early 1850s, he was the leading figure in the Osaka school. For unknown reasons, Hirosada ceased designing prints in 1853 and gave his name to his protégé, who is known as Hirosada II.

Collections

• Udinotti Museum of Figurative Art

References

• Keyes, Roger S., and Susumu Matsudaira, Hirosada, Ōsaka Printmaker, Long Beach, CA, University Art Museum, California State University, Long Beach, 1984.
• Keyes, Roger S. and Keiko Mizushima, The Theatrical World of Osaka Prints, Philadelphia, Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1973, 182-9, 264.
• Lane, Richard. (1978). Images from the Floating World, The Japanese Print. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 10-ISBN 0192114476/13-ISBN 9780192114471; OCLC 5246796
• Newland, Amy Reigle. (2005). Hotei Encyclopedia of Japanese Woodblock Prints. Amsterdam: Hotei. 10-ISBN 9074822657/13-ISBN 9789074822657; OCLC 61666175

External links

• WWAR