# Toyokuni Utagawa artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/toyokuni-utagawa/
Profile generated: 2026-08-19T09:40:40.436Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Nationality: Japanese
- Movements: Ukiyo-e, Utagawa school
- Common media: color woodblock prints, works on paper

## Portrait

![Toyokuni Utagawa](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/Kunisada_shini_e.jpg)
Original uploader was Saboten land at en.wikipedia · Public domain
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kunisada_shini_e.jpg

## About Toyokuni Utagawa

Toyokuni Utagawa is the public-facing name used for Utagawa Kunisada, also known as Utagawa Toyokuni III (1786–1865). A Japanese ukiyo-e artist associated with the Utagawa school, Kunisada became one of the leading designers of nineteenth-century color woodblock prints. His work is especially encountered in actor and kabuki imagery, along with other theatrical and popular-culture subjects. Collectors may encounter single-sheet prints, series leaves, illustrated works, and related works on paper. The artist’s historical importance and extensive production make name matching essential: signatures, artist names, publisher information, series context, and dating can help distinguish Kunisada from other members of the Utagawa lineage. Appraisily’s artist page connects this identity research with public auction records so that collectors can compare similarly described works while keeping attribution and condition under review.

## Common works and media

Auction and appraisal contexts commonly include Japanese color woodblock prints and other works on paper associated with ukiyo-e production. Actor portraits, kabuki scenes, theatrical narratives, and popular-culture subjects are especially relevant to Kunisada’s identity. Records may also describe print series, illustrated material, editions, and works attributed to or associated with the Utagawa school. For each object, document the full sheet or image dimensions, subject or series title, signature, inscriptions, publisher marks, condition, and provenance. These details help separate an original period impression from a later reproduction, a different Utagawa artist, or an uncertain attribution.

## Market and appraisal context

Public auction records for Toyokuni Utagawa show a broad range of results rather than a single dependable price level. Appraisily reports 65 matched records from 2009–2025, with 42 priced records and an observed range from $20 to $78,650. Those figures are descriptive of the available matched records, not a prediction for an individual object. For a meaningful comparison, examine the print’s medium, sheet or image size, date and period, subject, condition, trimming or restoration, signature and inscriptions, publisher details, provenance, and attribution. Recent comparable sales are useful only when the lots are genuinely similar, and public auction data may omit private transactions or incomplete records.

## 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.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q467427
- National Gallery of Art: https://www.nga.gov/collection/artist-info.23306.html
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500121373
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/119785921/
- IdRef: https://www.idref.fr/058633707
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunisada
- Appraisily: https://appraisily.com/artist/toyokuni-utagawa/
- Encyclopædia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Utagawa-Kunisada