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.
25 Products
Yoshitoshi
Village of the Shi Clan on a Moonlit Night: Kyumonryu
JP-208603
Kunichika
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
JPR-209709
Yoshitoshi
Kyumonryu Shishin, One of the 108 Heroes of the Suikoden
JPR-209584
Kunisada
Segawa Kikunojo V as Komurasaki (Meiji Edition)
JPR-208042
Yoshitoshi
Feeling Pain: A Prostitute in the Kansei Era
JPR-109486
Toyohiro
The God Ebisu and Bijin Walking in the Snow
JPR3-25327
Gakutei
Chinese Woman Looking at Spider (Meiji Edition)
JP110760
