Artist – Utagawa YOSHITSUYA (1822-1866) (Japanese: 歌川芳艶) was a 4th generation Member of the Utagawa school. YOSHITSUYA entered the studio of Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861) around the age of fifteen.  After gaining his first merits in drawing, Kuniyoshi gave him at the age of 17 his ga-name YOSHITSUYA. He is considered one of Kuniyoshi's more important students, along with Utagawa Sadahide (1807-1873).  He was famous for his designs of tattoos in the 1840s and 1850s, along with his prints of warriors and prints using legendary animals, such as giant serpents, monsteer cats and other legendary creatures, often as  caricatures of political events to avoid censorship. At the age of 30 he was ousted from Kuniyoshi's studio because of a gambling incident with a close friend of his master. For about two years he did not produce any ukiyo-e, but once again in 1856 started issueing praised warrior prints, and may have established his own studio. In the following years he produced several genre paintings, landscape paintings, Yokohama-paintings, Samurai pictures and other kinds of woodblocks. Like other artists looking to supplement their income, YOSHITSUYA also designed advertisements. In 1863 he participated in an official Tokaido Project "Scenes of Famous Places along the Tôkaidô Road" also known as the "Processional Tôkaidô" ("Tōkaidō meisho no uchi", "東海道名所之内"), and gained some outstanding respect.


Personal life -  Information about his personal life is scarce. YOSHITSUYA was born in the Nihonbashi ward of Edo with the name of  Kinoeebisu MANIKICHI (KinoeKo Mankichi, short Kôko Mankichi) (甲胡 万吉), and had at least one brother. He kept taking his paintbrush until his early death at the young age of 45. His posthumous Buddhist name is "Master Ichiei Hitoshi Yoshitsuya" ("一英斎 芳艶 居士"). YOSHITSUYA's grave was in Tokiyo's Taito-ku Yanaka Myoen-ji Temple, but now seems to be lost.


Aliases - YOSHITSUYA's official name was Kôko Mankichi (甲胡 万吉). He used the ga-names "Hōon" (保温), "Kōko Yoshitsuya" (甲胡芳艶), "Ichioyōsai (Ichiei) Yoshitsuya" (一英斎芳艶), "Ichioyōsai" (一英斎), and "Ichioyōsai Hitoshi (Toki) Yoshitsuya" (一英 斎 芳艶)


Disciples - Known disciples include Utagawa Kazutoyo (歌川一豊, active c. 1862-70), Yoshitsuya-II (芳艶 二代, active c. 1870s), Tsuyanaga (艶長, fl. 1863),  Tsuyatoyo (艶豊), and Tsuyamasa (艶政)