Torii Kiyonaga was born in 1752 in Uraga, Japan. He was a pupil of Torii Kiyomitsu. After the death of his master, Torii Kiyonaga was adopted by the Torii family and continued the family business of print- and bookmaking and was active in Japanese painting. Torii Kiyonaga is seen as a major painter and ukiyo-e designer of the period before 1790. His works cover all subjects popular at the end of the 18th century - bijin-ga, actors, shunga and genre scenes. But he is most appreciated for his bijin prints. Kiyonaga is often called a predecessor to Utamaro Kitagawa.