Editing Ukiyo-e (section)

===Peak period (late 18th century)===

[[File:Kitagawa Utamaro - Two Beauties with Bamboo - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|alt=A colour print of a close-up of the head and upper torso of a finely dressed Japanese woman. Behind her is a bamboo screen on which is depicted a similar woman's head and upper torso.|''Two Beauties with Bamboo''{{pb}}[[Utamaro]], {{circa|1795}}]]

While the late 18th century saw hard economic times,{{sfn|Neuer|Libertson|Yoshida|1990|p=145}} ukiyo-e saw a peak in quantity and quality of works, particularly during the [[Kansei]] era (1789–1791).{{sfn|Kobayashi|1997|p=91}} The ukiyo-e of the period of the [[Kansei Reforms]] brought about a focus on beauty and harmony{{sfn|Kobayashi|1997|p=85}} that collapsed into decadence and disharmony in the next century as the reforms broke down and tensions rose, culminating in the [[Meiji Restoration]] of 1868.{{sfn|Kobayashi|1997|p=91}}

Especially in the 1780s, [[Torii Kiyonaga]] (1752–1815){{sfn|Kobayashi|1997|p=85}} of the Torii school{{sfn|Kobayashi|1997|p=91}} depicted traditional ukiyo-e subjects like beauties and urban scenes, which he printed on large sheets of paper, often as multiprint horizontal [[diptych]]s or [[triptych]]s. His works dispensed with the poetic dreamscapes made by Harunobu, opting instead for realistic depictions of idealized female forms dressed in the latest fashions and posed in scenic locations.{{sfn|Kobayashi|1997|pp=85–86}} He also produced portraits of kabuki actors in a realistic style that included accompanying musicians and chorus.{{sfn|Kobayashi|1997|p=87}}

A law went into effect in 1790 requiring prints to bear a censor's seal of approval to be sold. Censorship increased in strictness over the following decades, and violators could receive harsh punishments. From 1799 even preliminary drafts required approval.{{sfn|Michener|1954|p=231}} A group of Utagawa-school offenders including [[Utagawa Toyokuni|Toyokuni]] had their works repressed in 1801, and [[Utamaro]] was imprisoned in 1804 for making prints of 16th-century political and military leader<!-- the source calls him "Shogun", but Hideyoshi was never appointed shogun --> [[Toyotomi Hideyoshi]].{{sfn|Lane|1962|p=224}}

Utamaro ({{circa|1753}}–1806) made his name in the 1790s with his {{transliteration|ja|bijin ōkubi-e}} ('large-headed pictures of beautiful women') portraits, focusing on the head and upper torso, a style others had previously employed in portraits of kabuki actors.{{sfn|Kobayashi|1997|pp=87–88}} Utamaro experimented with line, colour, and printing techniques to bring out subtle differences in the features, expressions, and backdrops of subjects from a wide variety of class and background. Utamaro's individuated beauties were in sharp contrast to the stereotyped, idealized images that had been the norm.{{sfn|Kobayashi|1997|p=88}} By the end of the decade, especially following the death of his patron [[Tsutaya Jūzaburō]] in 1797, Utamaro's prodigious output declined in quality,{{sfn|Kobayashi|1997|pp=88–89}} and he died in 1806.{{sfn|Neuer|Libertson|Yoshida|1990|p=40}}

Appearing suddenly in 1794 and disappearing just as suddenly ten months later, the prints of the enigmatic [[Sharaku]] are amongst ukiyo-e's best known. Sharaku produced striking portraits of kabuki actors, introducing a greater level of realism into his prints that emphasized the differences between the actor and the portrayed character.{{sfn|Kobayashi|1997|pp=91–92}} The expressive, contorted faces he depicted contrasted sharply with the serene, mask-like faces more common to artists such as Harunobu or Utamaro.{{sfn|Munsterberg|1957|p=155}} Published by Tsutaya,{{sfn|Neuer|Libertson|Yoshida|1990|p=40}} Sharaku's work found resistance, and in 1795 his output ceased as mysteriously as it had appeared; his real identity is still unknown.{{sfn|Kobayashi|1997|pp=89–91}} Utagawa Toyokuni (1769–1825) produced kabuki portraits in a style Edo townsfolk found more accessible, emphasizing dramatic postures and avoiding Sharaku's realism.{{sfn|Kobayashi|1997|pp=91–92}}

A consistent high level of quality marks ukiyo-e of the late 18th-century, but the works of Utamaro and Sharaku often overshadow those other masters of the era.{{sfn|Neuer|Libertson|Yoshida|1990|p=40}} One of Kiyonaga's followers,{{sfn|Kobayashi|1997|p=91}} [[Eishi]] (1756–1829), abandoned his position as painter for shōgun [[Tokugawa Ieharu]] to take up ukiyo-e design. He brought a refined sense to his portraits of graceful, slender courtesans, and left behind a number of noted students.{{sfn|Neuer|Libertson|Yoshida|1990|p=40}} With a fine line, [[Eishōsai Chōki]] ({{abbr|fl.|floruit}} 1786–1808) designed portraits of delicate courtesans. The Utagawa school came to dominate ukiyo-e output in the late Edo period.{{sfn|Neuer|Libertson|Yoshida|1990|pp=40–41}}

Edo was the primary centre of ukiyo-e production throughout the Edo period. Another major centre developed in the [[Kamigata]] region of areas in and around [[Kyoto]] and [[Osaka]]. In contrast to the range of subjects in the Edo prints, those of Kamigata tended to be portraits of kabuki actors. The style of the Kamigata prints was little distinguished from those of Edo until the late 18th century, partly because artists often moved back and forth between the two areas.{{sfn|Harris|2011|p=38}} Colours tend to be softer and pigments thicker in Kamigata prints than in those of Edo.{{sfn|Salter|2001|pp=12–13}} In the 19th century, many of the prints were designed by kabuki fans and other amateurs.{{sfn|Winegrad|2007|pp=18–19}}
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<gallery caption="Masters of the peak period" mode="packed" heights="230px">
Kiyonaga Riverside01.JPG|''Cooling on Riverside''{{pb}}[[Torii Kiyonaga|Kiyonaga]], {{circa|1785}}
File:Kitagawa Utamaro - Toji san bijin (Three Beauties of the Present Day)From Bijin-ga (Pictures of Beautiful Women), published by Tsutaya Juzaburo - Google Art Project.jpg|''[[Three Beauties of the Present Day]]''{{pb}}[[Utamaro]], {{circa|1793}}
Sharaku2.jpg|''Ichikawa Ebizo as Takemura Sadanoshin''{{pb}}[[Sharaku]], 1794
ToyokuniActor.jpg|''Onoe Eisaburo I''{{pb}}[[Utagawa Toyokuni|Toyokuni]], {{circa|1800}}
Chôki - Most Splendid Entertainment of the Niwaka Festival in the Licensed Quarters .jpg|''Niwaka Festival in the Licensed Quarters''{{pb}}[[Eishōsai Chōki|Chōki]], {{circa|1800}}
</gallery>