江戸に生まれ、役者絵や芝居の看板を描く鳥居派に入りました。1780年代、すらりと背が高く健康的な美人たちが、江戸の町や行楽地を歩く姿を、何枚もつなげた大画面で描き、大人気になります。のちに鳥居家の当主をつぐと、家の仕事である芝居の看板などに専念し、美人画からは身を引きました。歌麿にも大きな影響を与えています。
Kiyonaga was born in Edo and joined the Torii school, which made actor prints and theater signboards. In the 1780s, he became very popular for pictures of tall, healthy-looking women walking through Edo and pleasure spots, often across several connected sheets. Later he became head of the Torii family and focused on its theater work, leaving beauty prints behind. He strongly influenced Utamaro.
