Konishi Hirosada

Who was Konishi Hirosada?

Konishi Hirosada, also known as Gosōtei Hirosada, was a designer of ukiyo-e Japanese woodblock prints in Osaka. His artist name was originally Sadahiro, but he changed the sequence of syllables in 1847. One theory suggests he did this to evade censorship, but it was not unheard of for artists to change their art names for more whimsical reasons.

Hirosada was a member of the Osaka school of artists, which specialized in prints of actors. In the late 1840s and early 1850s, he was the leading figure in the Osaka school. For unknown reasons, Hirosada ceased designing prints in 1853 and gave his name to his protégé, who is known as Hirosada II.