Torii Kiyonobu II

Japanese, died 1752

BiographyKiyonobu II was the first son of Kiyonobu I according to the findings of Inoue Kazuo in 1923. His date of birth is uncertain, but Inoue’s study of the burial documentation suggests that he died in 1752. Works signed Kiyonobu that are datable after this time are, therefore, by still another Kiyonobu whose identification must await future research. This theory finds some support in the family genealogy of the Torii school given in the "Ukiyo-e Ruikö," which notes a total of five artists using the Kiyonobu signature before Kiyomitsu, the third titular artist of the Torii school.

Kiyonobu II may have collaborated in the late work of Kiyonobu I and, as a result, prints produced in the 1720s and signed Kiyonobu are difficult to attribute properly. Kiyonobu I died in 1729, and any later print may be attributed to the second artist. His small "hosoban" prints, whether hand-colored "urushi-e" or the later "benizuri-e," are satisfying in a rather quiet way. He did not become the titular head of the Torii school after his father’s retirement. If Inoue’s genealogical identification is correct, his "kaimyö" (posthumous name) consists of only five characters, indicating a position well below that of his illustrious father.

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This artist was the first son of Kiyonobu I. His date of birth is uncertain, but his death occurred in 1752. Art signed Kiyonobu that is dated after this time is therefore by Kiyonobu III whose identification must await future research. Kiyonobu II probably collaborated in the late work of Kiyonobu I, and prints produced in the 1720s signed Kiyonobu are difficult to properly attribute as the result. He never worked in the large Kakemono format, however, no doubt because that format had been outlawed in 1716. But his small "hosoban" prints, whether hand-colored "urushi-e" of the new benizuri-e, are satisfying in a rather quiet way. (cat. No. ). He did not become the titular head of the Torii school after his father's retirement. His "Kaimyö" consists of only five characters, indicating a position well below that of his illustrious father.

Research by: Howard A. Link.

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