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Nishimura Shigenaga

1697 – 1756

Japanese printmaker

Ukiyo-e artistEngraver Artist
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About Nishimura Shigenaga

Lived 1697 – 1756 (aged 58–59). Nishimura Shigenaga was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist, engraver, artist, painter and xylographer.

Nishimura Shigenaga (; – 23 July 1756) was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist.

Shigenaga was born in Edo (modern Tokyo). He worked as a landlord in Tōriabura-chō before moving to the Kanda district, where he ran a bookshop and taught himself art; he is not known to have had a teacher. His work began to appear . He worked in a variety of genres and formats. His earlier work tended to be yakusha-e portraits of kabuki actors in the style of the Torii school; his later work is in an idiom more his own, incorporating the influence of Okumura Masanobu and Nishikawa Sukenobu. Other genres he worked in include landscapes, kachō-e pictures of scenes of nature, and historical scenes. He made a number of uki-e "floating pictures" incorporating geometric perspective. The number of uki-e he produced was second only to Masanobu, who asserted himself the originator of the technique.

Shigenaga's better-known work includes the series Fifty-four Sheets of Genji, a collaborative series with Torii Kiyomasu II in ; and the Picture Book of Edo Souvenirs in 1753. He produced some of the earliest ukiyo-e landscape prints; in 1727, his was the first set of prints of Lake Biwa. His work had a strong influence on later artists such as Suzuki Harunobu and Ishikawa Toyonobu, who may have been students of Shigenaga's; Toyonobu may have been Nishimura Shigenobu, Shigenaga's most prominent student.

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Important facts

Born
1697, Edo
Birth century
Occupation
Ukiyo-e artist, engraver, artist, painter, xylographer
Nationality
Also known as
Shigenaga, Nishimura Shiganaga, Shigenaga Nishimura

People in Nishimura Shigenaga's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Nishimura Shigenaga's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Nishimura Shigenaga?

Japanese printmaker (1697–1756)

When was Nishimura Shigenaga born?

Nishimura Shigenaga was born in 1697 in Edo.

When did Nishimura Shigenaga die?

Nishimura Shigenaga died on 23 July 1756.

What was Nishimura Shigenaga's occupation?

Nishimura Shigenaga was an ukiyo-e artist, engraver, artist, painter and xylographer.

What nationality was Nishimura Shigenaga?

Nishimura Shigenaga was Japanese.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Nishimura Shigenaga

· Wikidata: Q11628686

· DBpedia: Nishimura Shigenaga

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Nishimura Shigenaga. https://biography.guide/nishimura-shigenaga/

MLA: "Nishimura Shigenaga." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/nishimura-shigenaga/.

Chicago: "Nishimura Shigenaga." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/nishimura-shigenaga/.

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