# Yoshiiku Utagawa artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/yoshiiku-utagawa/
Profile generated: 2026-05-24T05:02:44.660Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Nationality: Japanese
- Movements: Ukiyo-e
- Common media: woodblock prints

## About Yoshiiku Utagawa

Yoshiiku Utagawa (1833–1904), also known as Ochiai Yoshiiku, was a Japanese woodblock printmaker and painter of the Utagawa school, one of the most influential studios in the history of ukiyo-e. Active during the turbulent transition from the late Edo period to the Meiji era, Yoshiiku produced prints across a range of popular subjects, including actor portraits, warrior scenes, and news illustrations. His career bridged traditional woodblock publishing and the rise of modern Japanese newspaper illustration, making his body of work a key reference point for collectors of transitional-period Japanese prints. Yoshiiku's prints appear regularly in major collections of Japanese art worldwide.

## Common works and media

Yoshiiku is known primarily for polychrome woodblock prints (nishiki-e). Common subjects include kabuki actor portraits (yakusha-e), warrior and historical scenes (musha-e), and illustrated news sheets (nishiki-e shinbun). His work spans single-sheet prints, triptychs, and book illustrations. Collectors may also encounter collaborative prints and works bearing the Utagawa school signature style. Mediums include woodblock printing on paper with ink and color.

## Market and appraisal context

Yoshiiku Utagawa's woodblock prints appear at auction in the Japanese Prints and Asian Works of Art categories. Valuation depends on the specific series, subject matter, impression quality, color condition, and whether the print is from the Edo or Meiji period of his career. Provenance and workshop attribution also play a role. Collectors should note that ukiyo-e prints were produced in multiple impressions, so condition assessment requires close inspection of each individual work. Comparable public auction records and recent sale results should be consulted for current market context.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine verified artist identity research with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For Yoshiiku Utagawa, identity data is drawn from Getty ULAN, VIAF, Wikidata, and Library of Congress authority files, supplemented by the Invaluable auction database of 270 catalogued lots.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2482193
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500339901
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/241657397/
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n88269381
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utagawa_Yoshiiku