Torii school

Moronobu's work was already dramatic and energetic, but Kiyonobu added to this with a further emphasis on action, and on the types of poses (see mie) and aesthetics one would see on the kabuki stage.

Taking Sugimura Jihei as a role model, rather than Moronobu, Kiyomasu produced works far softer, more delicate and graceful than those of many other Torii artists.

The Torii style, even in paintings and prints, continued to be derived directly from the clan's work for the kabuki theaters.

They also, however, experimented with the use of urushi-e, using lacquer for deeper, bolder lines, and brass or other metal dust to add a sparkle to their works.

The artistic developments and adaptions by Kiyomitsu, allowed for a specific style of the Torii School, which was called "Ie-No-Ho."

Katsukawa Shunshō and Sharaku, two of the greatest artists to reject the Torii style, pioneered attempts to represent the theater, and actors, realistically.

He retained much of the core of the Torii style, the drama, energy, and theatrical sensibility, but sought a degree of realism and individuality in his depictions of actors even beyond what Sharaku and Shunshō attained.

He depicted the urban culture of Edo with a realism previously unseen, and is widely credited with perfecting or mastering many other elements of the ukiyo-e genre.

Though Kiyonaga is generally regarded as the final great master of the Torii school, the school continued to produce theater materials, paintings and prints; more importantly, Kiyonaga's style, and that of his predecessors, continued to influence the next wave of ukiyo-e artists.