Artist – Utagawa YOSHITOYO (1830-1866) (Japanese: 歌川芳豊) was born in 1830  He initially studied painting under KUNISADA, but ran away from him to become a pupil of KUNIYOSHI. It is said that Kuniyoshi purposely gave him the name Yoshitoyo, as Kunisada had just started calling himself Utagawa Toyokuni. He painted from the late Kaei to Keio periods, and in the late Edo period, in addition to warrior prints, and he exellented in hozo-e (measle / smallpox) paintings and kite paintings. Several Yokohama-e are also known from him.
 

Personal life -  Only sparse information is known of YOSHITOYO. Hewas born as FUKUYAMA (福山 )  Kanekichi 兼吉 (or Kanejiro, 兼二郎). He is said to have been the son of a concubine of an innkeeper near Sanmaibashi in Ueno (上野三枚橋). He died in Shin-Osaka-cho, Nihonbashi (日本橋新大坂町), at the young age of 37. His grave is at Shokakuji Temple (正覚寺) in Motoasakusa, Taito ward (台東区元浅草), Tokyo.


Aliases - YOSHITOYO's official name was FUKUYAMA Kanekichi 福山 兼吉 (or Kanejiro), most often he signed as Ichioyōsai YOSHITOYO (一英斎 芳豊 or いちりゅうさい よしとよ). His posthumous name was Toyozan-in En'ou-Shinji (豊山院遠往信士).


Disciples - One of his pupils was the Second Generation Utagawa YOSHITOYO (二代目 歌川芳豊).