Women of Renown: Female Heroes and Villians in the Prints of Utagawa Kuniyoshi April 2, 2007

Artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi uniquely combined the popular theme of beautiful women with his personal specialty, warrior prints showing legendary heroic figures from Japanese and Chinese history. From the historical woman warrior Tomoe to the fictional sorceress Takiyasha, from ancient empresses to present-day criminals, Kuniyoshi's dynamic portrayals show women who were not just passive beauties but strong, courageous, talented and sometimes even wicked.