Torii Kiyomine

Torii Kiyomitsu II was the grandson of Kiyomitsu I and fifth in the traditional Torii lineage. In 1795, at the age of eight, he officially became a pupil of Torii Kiyonaga in preparation for the time when he would become the fifth Torii.

Before assuming this position and the name of his grandfather, Kiyomitsu, in 1815, he signed his prints Torii Kiyomine. Under this early name he designed single-sheet prints of "bijin" and "yakusha," as well as a variety of book illustrations. Occasionally he copied the design of an earlier Torii in homage to the school's illustrious past (Kiyomitsu II (Kiyomine) No. 1). After his name change, he devoted himself to the official duties of the Torii family, producing "kabuki" billboards and playbills. Although some of his work reveals a certain freshness, his art, for the most part, is routine and undistinguished.

Research by: Howard A. Link.