Utagawa Yoshimune II

Photo of the artist taken during his later years

晩年の二代歌川芳宗

Utagawa Yoshimune II 二代歌川芳宗 (1863-1941)

BIOGRAPHY

Source: Guide to Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints: 1900-1975, Helen Merritt and Nanako Yamada, University of Hawaii Press, 1992, p. 165; website of Artistian http://artistian.net/yoshimune2-episode/

Given name Shūjirō. The eleventh and youngest son of Utagawa Yoshimune I (1817-1880) was born on February 15, 1863 and his childhood residence was in the Kinroku-chō area of Tokyo. At a young age he studied with the famous ukiyo-e artist Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-1892) and he assumed the name Toshiyuki 年雪 at age thirteen. He was to become known as the "right-hand man" of Yoshitoshi, assisting him during Yoshitoshi's lean years.

Yoshimune worked at several newspapers, starting at the Shin'yō Nichi Nichi Shimbun 信陽日日新聞 and later, on the recommendation of the journalist Watanabe Bunkyō 渡邊文京, he was hired at the Eiri Jiyū shinbun 絵入自由新聞. Yoshimune would then go on to convince the paper's management to hire Yoshitoshi, who was struggling financially. During his career Yoshimine would work at a half-dozen other newspapers as an illustrator.

After his father's death he was adopted by the Arai 新井 family. He succeeded his father in 1882 to become Yoshimune II and occasionally used his father’s art name (gō) Isshōsai 一松斎 along with the name Arai Yoshimune 新井芳宗. Worked as illustrator and print designer. Also known as Arai Toshiyuki 新井年雪.