Torii Kiyomoto

Torii Kiyomoto (; 1645–1702) was a kabuki actor from Osaka and painter of billboards and other kabuki advertisements; the founder of the Torii school of artists, he painted in an early form of what came to be known as the ukiyo-e style. Onstage, he went by the name Torii Shōshichi.

Career

Acting Moving to Edo in 1687 with his son Shōbei, he made his home very close to the entertainment district. He was unsuccessful onstage, like many other Osaka actors who tried to adapt to the Edo acting styles and audience preferences, so he turned to focus exclusively on painting advertisements and billboards for the kabuki theater. In 1690, Kiyomoto produced the first poster for the Ichimura-za theatre, originating a professional kabuki poster style that his son would go on to refine, and which remained popular for several decades.

Painting Soon eclipsed by Shōbei, who took the name Torii Kiyonobu in his artistic career, the pair established a school of painting which strongly influenced that of the emerging ukiyo-e, and which monopolized the painting of kabuki signboards through the Edo period and into the 20th century. Like his father, Kiyonobu was himself a kabuki actor who specialised in onnagata roles.

None of his work is known to survive today.