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, ukiyo-e artists captured the influx of unfamiliar peoples, places, and things through Yokohama-e. As these woodblock prints considered foreign arrivals, kaika-e (enlightenment pictures) captured the rapid modernization of Japan. From Western-style clothes and pastimes, to exciting new inventions from overseas, together these genres explored a changing world through a familiar medium.