# Torii Kiyonaga artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/torii-kiyonaga/
Profile generated: 2026-05-14T18:50:00.178Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Death date: 1815-06-28
- Nationality: Japanese
- Movements: Ukiyo-e
- Common media: woodblock prints, paintings, drawings

## About Torii Kiyonaga

Torii Kiyonaga (1752–1815) was a Japanese ukiyo-e printmaker and painter who led the Torii school during the late Edo period. Born Sekiguchi Shinsuke in Edo (now Tokyo), he was the son of a bookseller and was not biologically related to the Torii family. He was adopted by Torii Kiyomitsu, the school's preceding master, and succeeded him as its head. Kiyonaga is recognized for refining the bijin-ga tradition—pictures of beautiful women—with elongated, graceful figures that influenced later masters including Utamaro and Hokusai. His work spans single-sheet prints, multi-panel compositions, illustrated books, and paintings. Kabuki theater signboards and actor portraits also formed a core part of the Torii school's output, a tradition Kiyonaga maintained alongside his celebrated depictions of Edo's urban culture.

## Common works and media

Collectors are most likely to encounter Kiyonaga's work as oban woodblock prints, including single-sheet bijin-ga, hashira-e (pillar prints), and multi-panel diptych and triptych compositions. Kabuki actor portraits and theater signboards in the Torii school tradition also appear. Illustrated books (ehon) and hanging scroll paintings are less common but surface in specialized sales. Subjects include courtesans, geisha, festivals, and scenes of everyday Edo life.

## Market and appraisal context

Torii Kiyonaga's prints appear regularly in Japanese and Asian art auctions worldwide. Collectors most often encounter his oban-format woodblock prints, especially complete diptychs and triptychs from the 1780s. Value depends heavily on impression quality (early versus later editions), color preservation, paper condition, and whether multi-panel sets remain intact. Attribution can be nuanced because Torii school workshop practices involved pupil collaboration under the master's name. Later reproductions and post-Edo re-strikes circulate in the market, so expert authentication is advisable. Comparable public auction records, sale dates, and provenance history are essential reference points for appraisal.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine artist identity research with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For Torii Kiyonaga, identity data is grounded in Getty ULAN, VIAF, RKD, Wikidata, and Library of Congress authority files. Market context is informed by the artist's representation in Appraisily's Invaluable-sourced auction catalogue (372 recorded lots).

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q427642
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torii_Kiyonaga
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500058786
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/45485954/
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n80153155
- RKD - Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/501101