Meiji Period Prints (1868-1912)
Meiji-period woodblock prints reflect an era of change. In 1853, the arrival of Commodore Perry’s black ships brought over 250 years of Japanese isolation to an abrupt end. The following year, as Japan engaged in international trade, Yokohama-e (Yokohama pictures) captured an influx of unfamiliar peoples, places and things entering Japan through Yokohama harbor. By 1868, the Imperial line attained control of the country under Emperor Meiji, terminating the feudal rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate and dissipating the culture of the floating world. Under the emperor, national modernization progressed rapidly. From Western-style clothes and pastimes, to exciting new inventions from overseas, Japan absorbed the massive influx of the foreign and developed a distinctly Japanese modern identity. While photography and lithography gained popularity at this time, the woodblock print continued to serve as a powerful medium. Meiji period artists made sense of a transitioning world with a familiar medium.
9 Products
Kiyochika
Defying a Shower of Bullets, He, Alone, Opened Hyonmu Gate
JP-96260
Chikanobu
Shogun's Inspection of Ammunition Explosions Over Water
JPR-208737
Chikanobu
The Battle of Awazugahara: Tomoe Gozen and Hatakeyama Shigetada
JPR-208440
Chikanobu
Soga Juro Visiting His Mistress Oiso no Tora
JPR-97282
Chikanobu
The First Three Generations of the Tokugawa Shogunate
JPR-97137
Kiyochika
Hurrah for the Great Victory of the Navy of Great Japan at the Naval Battle of Incheon between Japan and Russia
JP1-51188