His birth year and birthplace are uncertain (accounts differ).
Around this time he studied painting under Toriyama Sekien.
Around this time he teamed up with the publisher Tsutaya Jūzaburō, who backed his rise.
He published Ehon Mushi Erami, a picture book of finely drawn insects and plants that showed his keen observation.
Around this time he began ōkubi-e, close-up portraits of women's faces and upper bodies, which won huge acclaim for their lively expressions and gestures.
He produced the Three Beauties of the Kansei Era, portraits of three young women famed in Edo.
His patron Tsutaya Jūzaburō died, but Utamaro remained a popular artist, producing many works.
A print depicting Toyotomi Hideyoshi violated a shogunate ban, and he was punished with fifty days in manacles.
He died about two years after his punishment. Foremost master of beauty prints, he is highly esteemed abroad too.
Toyotomi HideyoshiTsutaya Jūzaburō
Shiba KokanTsutaya JūzaburōUesugi YōzanDaikokuya KōdayūMogami TokunaiŌtsuki GentakuRyōkanMatsudaira Sadanobu
People of the Edo period ・ People by period
Based on facts found in textbooks and biographies. Uncertain points are marked as such.