Isoda Koryusai (active 1760s and 1770s)

In the Gay Quarters 10.7" x 7.8" Click image for larger version

Koryusai, a student and friend of Harunobu, was active as a printmaker in the 1760s and 1770s. Kondo feels that most of his work is quite imitative of Harunobu's and for this reason he falls in the second rank of printmakers although some critics regard him very highly and think that his best prints are among the masterpieces of ukiyo-e. His most original work, in which he excelled, was in pillar prints, bird-and-flower (kacho) prints and shunga. While Kondo sees him as a mere imitator of Harunobu, Lane on the other hand says, "Harunobu, Koryusai, Buncho: three happier geniuses have seldom coincided ... they saw a dream and gave it immortality."

Readings: Ichitaro Kondo p. 21: not flattering; Munsterberg pps. 53-55: brief; Michener Floating World pps. 117-124: detailed; Lane p.111-114: informative.