Konishi Hirosada

diptych by Hirosada I showing actors Nakamura Utaemon IV (right) and Nakamura Tomosa II (left) in the play Keisei Kiyome no Funauta (1/1851)

Konishi Hirosada (小西 廣貞) (fl. c. 1819-1863) was the most prolific Osaka-based designer of ukiyo-e woodblock prints during the late Edo period. Like most producers of kamigata-e (上方絵)—prints originating in the Osaka and Kyoto regions—he specialized in yakusha-e actor prints. Hirosada is particularly known for his diptychs and triptychs, and for his many ōkubi-e portraits of the leading actors on the Osaka kabuki stage during his day.