About Torii Kiyomasu II
Lived 1706 – 1763 (aged 56–57). Torii Kiyomasu II was a Japanese painter, ukiyo-e artist, xylographer and graphic artist.
Ichikawa Ebizō aitsutome moshi soro - Kiyomasu's print of the actor Ichikawa Ebizō on stage. was a Japanese ukiyo-e painter and woodblock printmaker of the Torii school, a specialist, like the rest of the Torii artists, in billboards and other images for the promotion of the kabuki theatres. Scholars are unsure as to Kiyomasu II's relation to the original Kiyomasu who came a few decades earlier; they may have been close relations, or master and student, or they may have been the same man. A separate theory holds instead that Kiyomasu II and Torii Kiyonobu II were themselves the same person, though the broader question of the use of the names Kiyonobu and Kiyomasu during this period remains far from resolved.
His prints, like many at the time, were made largely using the urushi-e (lacquer print) and benizuri-e (rose print) methods; the lines or outlines of the prints themselves would often be in monochrome or a limited number of colors and the rest would be done by hand.
Richard Lane writes that the majority of Kiyomasu's work is "quite stereotyped, lacking in vitality or fertility of invention." He writes the same of the works of Torii Kiyonobu II, but says of both artists that "in perhaps a quarter of their prints they manage to rise above the confines of their own limited talents and produce work of rare grace and charm."
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Important facts
People in Torii Kiyomasu II's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Torii Kiyomasu II's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Torii Kiyomasu II?
Japanese artist (1706-1763)
When was Torii Kiyomasu II born?
Torii Kiyomasu II was born in 1706 in Tokyo.
When did Torii Kiyomasu II die?
Torii Kiyomasu II died in 1763.
What was Torii Kiyomasu II's occupation?
Torii Kiyomasu II was a painter, ukiyo-e artist, xylographer and graphic artist.
What nationality was Torii Kiyomasu II?
Torii Kiyomasu II was Japanese.
Sources & further reading
· Wikipedia: Torii Kiyomasu II
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Torii Kiyomasu II. https://biography.guide/torii-kiyomasu-ii/
MLA: "Torii Kiyomasu II." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/torii-kiyomasu-ii/.
Chicago: "Torii Kiyomasu II." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/torii-kiyomasu-ii/.
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