Artist

Taito II,

Title

Rabbits, Birds, Puppies from Banshoku Gako

Technique

woodcut

Date

1843

Dimensions

19.3cm height x 15cm width

Type

print

Accession Number

1982.25

Owner

City of Burnaby

Collection

Permanent Collection

Gift of Joseph Therrien

Katsushika Taito II was a ukiyo-e painter, print artist and illustrator, born as Fujiwara Kondo. He was one of famed Japanese artist Hokusai's best pupils. Taito was acive as an artist from 1810 to 1853. He was a samurai of the Toyooka clan, who originally lived in Yamashita in Kozuke Province. He seems to have met Hokusai in Nagoya in the mid-1810s. He collaborated with him on the second volume of Hokusai manga, which was published in 1815. Taito then moved to Edo and took the name of Taito II in or after 1820, when Hokusai changed his name to Iitsu. He had the closest working relationship with Hokusai among all the master's pupils. Taito was also called Inu Hokusai (Dog Hokusai) when people caught him forging his master's signature on one of his own designs.