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Introduction

Tradition and Innovation in Meiji-Period Prints

December 6, 2002 - March 2, 2003

The Meiji period (1868-1912) was an era of dynamic political, economic, and social change that paved the way for the modernization of Japan. With the restoration of the emperor’s power in 1868 and the dissolution of the feudal system that had existed under the Tokugawa shoguns (military dictators), Japan gradually became a centralized, monarchical state with an industrialized economy. These changes laid the foundation for Japan’s Westernization and for its role as a world power the in the 20th century.

The prints on view were produced during this period of transition. In some, the subject falls within the tradition of ukiyo-e, or “floating world” prints: heroic samurai or famous kabuki actors still dominate the field. Others are distinguished by more contemporary themes of modernization and modern warfare. Whether conservative or innovative in subject matter, these prints occasionally exhibit tonal modeling and foreshortening, drawing techniques borrowed from the West. Other notable compositional devices, such as atmospheric perspective and deep spatial recession, were already part of the Japanese visual vocabulary. Meiji-period artists also enhanced their usual printmaking palette through the addition of inks made with aniline dyes, synthetically manufactured colors imported from the West. The energy and variety of these artworks reflect the creative ferment of change as Japanese society evolved from its traditional culture to engage with the modern world.

Selected Objects

Toyohara Chikanobu

Battle at Shizugatake: Katō Toranosuke and Yamaji Shōgen (Shizugatake kassen: Katō Toranosuke Yamaji Shōgen), ca. 1897

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

Gentoku Visits Kōmei in a Snowstorm (Gentoku fūsetsu ni Komei o otonau), 1883

Kobayashi Kiyochika

Scouts near Niuzhuang on a Snowy Night (Gyūsō fukin setsuya no sekkō), ca. 1895

Toyohara Kunichika

Nakamura Shikan as Hige no Ikyu, Ichikawa Danjuro IX as Hanakawado Sukeroku and Nakamura Fukusuke as Miuraya no Agemaki inthe play Edo zakura (Edo cherry blossoms), April 1896

Ogata Gekkō

The First Army Advancing on Fengtienfu (Daiichigun hōtenfu shingeki no zu), 1894

Mizuno Toshikata

Two Heroes Battle at the Foot of Liangshan (Ryōzanpaku no fūmoto ni ryōketsu yu o arasō), 1890's

Kason Suzuki

Woman reading a dispatch (Senshi koho), ca. 1904

Toyohara Kunichika

Actors in the play Benkei in the Boat (Funa Benkei): Ichikawa Sadanji (Benkei); Ichikawa Ebizo VIII (Minamoto Yoshitsune), Nakamura Shikan IV (Funaosa Mihodayu) and Ichikawa Danjurō IX (Taira Tomomori, 1875

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

Moon at Mount Inaba (Inabayama no tsuki), 1885.12.10

Toyohara Chikanobu

The tea ceremony and flower arranging (Chanoyu kiribana), 1880's

Japanese, Japan Tokyo

Kimono design, no. 5 (Kimono no zu daigogo), ca. 1904

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

Dawn Moon and Tumbling Snow: Kobayashi Heihachirō (Seppu no gyōgetsu: Kobayashi Heihachirō), 1886

More objects +

Exhibition Checklist

Tradition and Innovation in Meiji-Period Prints

December 6, 2002 - March 2, 2003
View Checklist PDF

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