Which artist founded the Utagawa school of ukiyo-e?

The artist who founded the Utagawa school of ukiyo-e was Utagawa Toyoharu.

Toyoharu was active in Edo during the 18th century and established the artistic lineage that became one of ukiyo-e’s largest and most influential schools. He was especially known for uki-e, or perspective pictures, in which he adapted deep, Western-influenced spatial effects to Japanese woodblock printing.

After Toyoharu’s death, his pupil Utagawa Toyokuni I became the school’s leader. Toyokuni specialized in kabuki actor prints and helped transform the Utagawa name into a dominant force in 19th-century ukiyo-e. Other major artists associated with the school included Utagawa Hiroshige, Utagawa Kuniyoshi, and Utagawa Kunisada.

A common mix-up is choosing one of those famous later artists as the founder. They were prominent members or descendants of the school, not its originator. Toyoharu’s importance lies less in the volume of surviving work than in the studio tradition and succession system he established.