Kunisada (crater)

{{short description|Crater on Mercury}}

{{Infobox feature on celestial object

| name = Kunisada

| image = Kunisada crater EN0108827047M.jpg

| caption = MESSENGER image, acquired on its first flyby on 14 January 2008

| location = Eminescu quadrangle, Mercury

| type = Impact crater

| coordinates = {{coord|1.36|N|247.14|W|globe:mercury_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}

| diameter = {{cvt|241|km}}

| eponym = Utagawa Kunisada

}}

Kunisada is a crater on Mercury. It has a diameter of {{cvt|241|km}}. Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 2009. Kunisada is named for the Japanese woodblock printer Utagawa Kunisada, who lived from 1786 to 1864.{{cite web |url = http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/14585 |title = Kunisada |publisher = IAU/NASA/USGS |work = Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature |access-date = 27 February 2025}}

The smooth plains material filling Kunisada crater are believed to be volcanic, similar to the maria on the moon.Byrne, P. K., Witten, J. L., Klimpczac, C., McCubbin, F. M., and Ostrach, L. R., 2018. The Volcanic Character of Mercury. In Mercury: The View After MESSENGER edited by Sean C. Solomon, Larry R. Nittler, and Brian J. Anderson. Cambridge Planetary Science. Chapter 11, Figure 11.1.