likely have become a dangerous rival of Harunobu's.[1] 石川豊信Ishikawa
Toyonobu was born in 1711 and was therefore only about ten
years younger than his teacher Shigenaga; he lived, however,
much longer than the latter, namely, until 1785, and remained
vigorously active even in old age.[2] He also called himself
Ishikawa Shuha. He began his career with black and white
work, and then, like Shigenaga, continued Masanobu's manner
in two-colour prints, producing numerous continuous triptychs,
which are noted for the grace of their female figures.
The earliest attempt to produce new tones by printing red
over green originated with him. He was also one of the
first to practise full polychrome printing; thus, for example,
his large horizontal sheet in four colours, the parody on the
seven sages in the bamboo grove, who are here represented
by singing-women, is dated 1765. He also produced book-illustrations;
the Hayashi Catalogue (No. 1488 seqq) mentions
some published at Yedo in 1763 and 1779. Contemporaneously
with Kiyomitsu and Shigenaga he practised three-colour printing
by using first yellow, then blue, as a third colour. The Tokio
Catalogue (p. 40) calls him the chief rival of Kiyomitsu (see
below), but seems wrong in assigning him to Sukenobu's group.
His pupils are mentioned below in connection with Shunsho.
Harunobu and Shigemasa also, who already belong to a
younger generation, and Yoshinobu and Toyoharu, the pupils
of Shigenaga, will be dealt with later.
The Hayashi Catalogue further mentions, as pupils of
Shigenaga, Hirose Shigenobu (No. 324); Yamamoto Shigeharu
(No. 348); Yamamoto Fujinobu (No. 349), whom Fenollosa
calls a pupil of Harunobu; Tomikawa Fusanobu, who worked
from 1741 to 1763 and then called himself Ginsetsu (No. 353).
