Torii Kiyomasu II

Torii Kiyomasu II spent his life making bold, eye-catching prints to draw crowds to kabuki shows in Tokyo. Working in the Torii school, his shop was the one theater-goers saw first—the bright posters outside the playhouse, the flyers handed out on the street.

He took over the name “Kiyomasu” from an earlier artist, but no one’s sure if they were the same person, or father and son, or just two artists who liked the same name. Either way, he kept the family style alive: flat blocks of color, strong black lines, and faces turned three-quarters so the audience could read every emotion.

Look for his prints of actors mid-sword-swing or caught in a dramatic pose. The costumes pop off the page in reds and greens, while the background stays simple so your eye lands right on the performer. He cared more about the show than the signature—so many prints were pasted up and thrown away after opening night that only a handful survive today.