Page "Utamaro" Paragraph 14

In 1804, at the height of his success, he ran into legal trouble by publishing prints related to a banned historical novel.

The prints, entitled Hideyoshi and his Five Concubines, depicted the wife and concubines of the military ruler, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who lived from 1536 to 1598.

Consequently, Utamaro was accused of insulting the real Hideyoshi's dignity.

He was sentenced to be handcuffed for fifty days ( some accounts say he briefly was imprisoned ).

According to some sources, the experience crushed him emotionally and ended his career as an artist.