Examining Utagawa Kuniyoshis Yose-e: The Playfulness and the Grotesque in the Floating World

Abstract

Utagawa Kuniyoshi is a highly regarded Japanese woodblock print-making master; most of his works are welcomed by the mass, for they address most aspects of civilians' everyday life in Late Edo Japan. However, some of his works seem set on uncommon themes with distorted expressions that make them less pleasing than simple popular art. This work aims at deciphering Kuniyoshis unconventional yose-e woodblock printings by contextualizing his works under the tradition of creating playful and grotesque ukiyo-e during the late Tokugawa period. By using theories of Edo aesthetics in these unattractive, sometimes disturbing images, this essay attempts to locate the cultural position of this relatively obscure branch of Late Edo ukiyo-e designing.