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.
94 Products
Yoshitoshi
Cooling Off: A Geisha in the Fifth Year of the Meiji Era
JPR-109494
Yoshitoshi
The Amused Type: A High Ranking Maid in the Bunsei Era
JPR-109492
Yoshitoshi
Overwhelmed by Smoke: Housewife of the Kyowa Era
JPR-109488
Yoshitoshi
Feeling Pain: A Prostitute in the Kansei Era
JPR-109486
Yoshitoshi
The Impatient Type: The Fireman's Wife of the Kaei Era
JP1-25001
Yoshitoshi
The Shy Type: A Young Girl in the Meiji Era
JP1-24993
Yoshitoshi
Title Page: Yoshitoshi's One Hundred Views of the Moon
JP-110760
Kunichika
Onoe Kikugoro and Bando Mitsugoro as Courtesans with Nakamura Juzaburo and Bando Minosuke
JP110830
Kunichika
Kabuki Actors Ichikawa Sadanji and Ichikawa Danjuro
JP110824
Kunichika
Title Page: An Educational Account of Self-Made Men
JP-110762
Kuniyoshi
Yamato Takeruno Mikoto in Kazusa and Yatsuhashi in Shimosa
JPR1-55482
