Utagawa Toyokuni (1769-1825) was a leading ukiyoe artist in the yakusha-e, or ukiyoe of kabuki actors. It is said that he was born as a son of a doll maker, who was good at drawing a face of an actor on the doll. Toyokuni learned from Utagawa Toyoharu, who established the Utagawa school. Like other ukiyoe artists, Toyokuni started his carrior with kibyo-shi, or picture books, small size of ukiyoe, and picture calenders. You can see some influence of Shigemasa and Kiyonaga in such his early works; however, he also drew ukiyoe women based on his master, Toyoharu, who was famous for his hand-drawing women.

In 1794, he produced a series of ukiyoe of kabuki actors, called "yakusha butai no sugata-e" under the "Izumi-ya" publisher, and that work brought him recognition as a ukiyoe artist of yakusha-e (kabuki actors). During that period, Sharaku, Shun-ei, and Toyokuni, the three famous ukiyoe artists of yakusha-e, influenced each other: they often drew the same kabuki actors and completed with each other. Toyokuni created the stylized and beautified pictures of the actors.

Toyokuni was also active in the field of ukiyoe of women. His ukiyoe women was applauded especially by ordinary people, and his drawing style was succeeded to and amplified by ukiyoe artists from the Utagawa-ha (Utagawa school).

During the Kansei Reform, the Tokugawa government strictly controlled people's morals and lives, including entertainments, clothes and arts. Many novelists and artists who depicted pleasant districts or/and related topics, were punished, and Toyokuni, Utamaro, and Shun-ei were among them. Their hands were placed in chains for 50 days, and were forced to change their topics. Toyokuni began concentrating on drawing pictures for books and later co-produced pictures with other artists. He did not lose his popularity until his death in 1825, and his drawing style in beautiful women influenced ukiyoe artists in the last days of the Tokugawa Shogunate.