(b Edo, 1773; d Edo, 1829). Painter, woodblock print designer and book illustrator. He was a pupil of (1) Toyoharu founder of the Utagawa school, and a fellow student and rival of (2) Toyokuni I. Toyohiro’s earliest known work is an egoyomi (pictorial calendar) for 1788. In book illustration, his first works are Jusanban kyoka awase (‘Thirteen kyoka [‘crazy verses’] compared’; ex-Urushiyama Col., Tokyo) and Kyoka michinokugami (‘Michinoku paper in kyoka’; both 1793). During 1802–6 he produced many illustrations for kibyoshi (‘yellow covers’; comic novels) and hanashibon (‘story books’; collections of short stories). After kibyoshi went out of fashion in 1807, he turned to gokanbon (‘bound-together volumes’; popular novels, often on historical themes) and yomihon (biographical novels). Toyohiro’s single-sheet prints date from 1800 and 1820. These consist of bijinga (‘pictures of beautiful women’), such as Mawaridoro (‘Revolving lantern’; Tokyo, Riccar A. Mus.), Toyokuni Toyohiro ryoga juniko (‘The twelve seasons by Toyokuni and Toyohiro’; of which four are by Toyohiro; priv. col.) and the kakemonoe (‘hanging scroll picture’; vertical woodblock imitations of a hanging scroll), Kashibune bijin (‘Beauties on a hired boat’), and a series of landscape prints, such as Omi hakkei (‘Eight views of Omi’; priv. col.) and Edo hakkei (‘Eight views of Edo’; Tokyo, N. Mus.), which were to influence the work of his illustrious student, ANDO HIROSHIGE. Toyohiro also painted nikuhitsuga (‘original paintings’; polychrome paintings; see JAPAN, §VI, 4(iv)(a)) of bijin.

Part of the Utagawa family

• Utagawa Toyohiro
  • Japan, §IX, 3(iii)(d): Prints and books: Edo period: prints and after: Historical development: c. 1800–c. 1820
  • pupils
    • Ando Hiroshige, §1: Early development, before 1818
    • Japan, §IX, 3(iii)(e): Prints, c 1820–1868
  • teachers
    • Utagawa
  • works
    • Japan, §IX, 3(iii)(a): Prints, c 1600–c 1760