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.
54 Products
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Kabuki Actor Ichikawa Danjuro IX as Matsuomaru
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Modoribashi: Actor Ichikawa Sadanji as Watanabe no Tsuna and Onoe Kikugoro Disguised Demon
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Machiai ("Waiting room" or geisha restaurant), Kiraku at Nihonbashi, and Mitate Fabric Pattern
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Barber: Kabuki Actor Sawamura Tossho II as Misao, the Wife of Takechi Mitsuhide
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Kabuki Actor Ichikawa Sadanji I as Konoha no Minezo
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Kabuki Actors Nakamura Sensho as Sodehagi and Kawarasaki Sakimatsu as Her Daughter
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Geisha from the Hiramatsu Restaurant in Nihonbashi
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Kabuki Actor Ichimura Kakitsu IV in the Play Yagura Daiko Oto mo Yoshiwara
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Kabuki Actor Ichikawa Danjuro as Shibata Katsuie
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Kabuki Actor Ichimura Uzaemon XIII as Jiraiya
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Actors Sawamura Tossho II as Mitsushima Samon, Otani Konohei as a Police Officer (Torite) (R), Nakamura Shikan IV as Jinriki Tamigoro, Nakamura Nakazo III as Kimyo-in (C), Otani Monza as a Bad Guy, and Otani Tomoemon V as Shirataki no Yokichi
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Ichikawa Danjuro as Kumagai Naozane and Ichikawa Yonezo as Taira no Atsumori
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Kabuki Actors Ichikawa Kyuzo, Bando Kakyo, Onoe Kikugoro, Nakamura Dengoro, and Onoe Matsusuke
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Kabuki Actors Nakamura Sojuro as Akoya, Nakamura Shikan IV as Kagekiyo, and Nakamura Sagisuke
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Raiko and the Earth Spider with Kabuki Actor Onoe Kikugoro as the Earth Spider
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Kabuki Play Modoribashi, Inoue Kikugoro V as the Demon of Mt. Atago Disguised as Sayuri
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