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.
306 Products
Yoshitoshi
The Refined Type: A Court Lady During the Kyowa Era
JPR-109538
Chikanobu
The First Three Generations of the Tokugawa Shogunate
JPR-97137
Yoshitoshi
Life of Yoshitsune: The Fight on Gojo Bridge with Benkei
JPR-83711
Kunichika
Introducing Two Kabuki Plays at the Nakamura Theater
JP110821
Yoshitoshi
The Ghost of Wicked Genta Yoshihira Attacking Nanba Jiro at Nunobiki Waterfall
JPR-111484
Yoshitoshi
Taira no Koremochi Vanquishing the Demon of Mt. Togakushi
JPR-111478
Yoshitoshi
Nitta Sadatsune Seeing an Apparition in a Cave
JPR-111468
Yoshitoshi
Minamoto no Yorimitsu Striking the Earth Spider
JPR-77811
Yoshitoshi
Kobayakawa Debating with the Tengu of Mt Hiko
JP110990
Kunichika
Ushiwaka-maru and Benkei on the Gojo Bridge
JP110819
Yoshitoshi
Yoshitsune Learns Martial Arts on Mt. Kurama with a Tengu
JPR1-25000
Yoshitoshi
The Delighted Type: A Modern Geisha in the Meiji Era
JPR-109536
Yoshitoshi
Moon at Mt. Chi-Ming: Tze-Fang, a Chief Advisor to the First Han Emperor
JPR-109542