Yoshiiku - Heroes of the Taiheiki

Utagawa Yoshiiku (1833–1904), also known as Ochiai Yoshiiku, was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist of the Utagawa school. Born in Edo as the son of a teahouse proprietor, he became a student of the renowned master Utagawa Kuniyoshi in the late 1840s. His earliest documented work dates to 1852, when he assisted his teacher by creating background elements for actor prints.

Yoshiiku’s early career focused on popular ukiyo-e subjects such as kabuki actors (yakusha-e), beautiful women (bijin-ga), and warriors (musha-e). Influenced by Kuniyoshi’s style and wit, he later turned toward satirical and humorous imagery, eventually becoming the leading artist in that genre following his master’s death in 1861. During the Meiji period, he expanded his work into journalism, illustrating the Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun before co-founding the illustrated newspaper Tokyo E-iri Shinbun.

After the newspaper folded in 1889, Yoshiiku returned to printmaking, though his later years were marked by financial difficulty. His final known print appeared in 1903, one year before his death at age seventy-one. Despite training several students, none achieved lasting recognition. Today, Yoshiiku is remembered for his dynamic prints, historical satire, and his collaboration with Tsukioka Yoshitoshi on the infamous muzan-e series, which remains one of the most striking expressions of late Edo and early Meiji ukiyo-e.