Torii Kiyomasu II
It is becoming increasingly clear from a study of the surviving prints that at least two artists utilized the Kiyomasu signature. The first was the early great master whose work in large "kakemono" size extends back in time to 1697. The second was the comparatively inept artist whose prints in a smaller format first appeared in the mid-1720s and continued until the early 1760s.
The identity of Kiyomasu II is muddled in a quagmire of conflicting and unreliable recorded evidence with that of Kiyomasu I. Just one clearly identifiable posthumous name for Kiyomasu has been discovered accompanying the birthdate 1706 on a tombstone. Since prints signed Kiyomasu are known to date before 1706, this name could not refer to the first artist to use the name.
Because of the second Kiyomasu’s uneven print production, the few really fine examples of his art have gone unnoticed. Part of this unevenness is attributable to a certain awkwardness in the harder lines of his two-color printed designs. His hand-colored prints, however, are often quite fine in a subdued way, although very different from the work of the first Kiyomasu.
The Michener Collection’s documentation on Kiyomasu II consists of nineteen "hosoban" prints mostly recording plays performed from the mid-1720s until the late 1750s.
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This artist was adopted as "muko" (son-in-law marrying into his wife's family) by Kiyonobu I, upon marrying his eldest daughter. He was born in 1706 and died in 1763. His "Kaimyö" is composed of nine characters, an indication of the high position he must have held in Edo society. He became the titular head of the Torii school. His art is rather uneven in quality, and as a result fine examples have gone unnoticed. Part of this unevenness is attributable to a certain awkwardness which inevitably shows up in the harder lines of his three-color printed designs. His "urushi-e" however, are often a surprisingly high quality proving how fundamentally important a medium can be to an artist's success.
Research by: Howard A. Link
