{"id":3782,"date":"2023-05-12T20:03:03","date_gmt":"2023-05-13T01:03:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/diluo.digital.conncoll.edu\/Asianart\/?p=3782"},"modified":"2023-05-23T15:42:32","modified_gmt":"2023-05-23T20:42:32","slug":"ukiyo-e-through-the-ages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diluo.digital.conncoll.edu\/Asianart\/uncategorized\/ukiyo-e-through-the-ages\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukiyo-e Through the Ages"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Introduction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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When looking at such iconic images as The Great Wave off Kanagawa<\/em>, do most viewers consider the reason for the depicted subject matter? The effort of collaboration required to create such a print, moving from the hands of the publisher to the artist, then on to the woodcarver, and finally, the printmaker? In other words, do they understand the essence of Ukiyo-e? Ukiyo-e is the term for Japanese woodblock prints, but it encapsulates more than just the simple usage of printmaking materials. Ukiyo-e is a style born of the Edo period, and therefore the pieces it produced were of the same ilk; the flourishing economy, lack of outside threats, and general tranquility of the period can be clearly seen in the pictorial depictions of lifestyle so common to Ukiyo-e.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The accompanying images are chosen because of the versatile picture of Ukiyo-e that they paint ; they depict the different genres of subject matter within the traditional movement of Ukiyo-e, and these more traditional images contrast with the new schools branching off in more modern times. From beautiful portraits of nature to portraits of beautiful women, these classical prints are offset by the modern prints that follow them, full of bright, neon colors – yet the traditional motive of Ukiyo-e as a style peeks through – the resolute subject matter of lifestyle in harmony with the natural world stays true.  <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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1. Hiroshige, Utagawa. Isaki and Kasago Fish<\/em>, from the series Uozukushi (Every Variety of Fish). Edo period (1615\u20131868), Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, 10 1\/4 x 14 7\/8 in. (26 x 37.8 cm); The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first print is the work of Utagawa Hiroshige, an installation in the Uozukushi<\/em> (every variety of fish) series called Isaki and Kasago Fish<\/em>. This print is an intricate work of bold red and black lines, depicting two gape-jawed fish diagonally crossed over each other. The fish stand out against the blank cream of the paper in the background, accompanied only by a simple, scallion-looking plant placed behind them. Drama and tranquility are equally abundant in this piece; the red-rimmed eyes and sharp teeth of the scarlet kasago fish are almost shocking, especially in contrast with the plain background and bright green plant emerging from behind it. The placement of the fish gives them movement, even removed from any landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These details are characteristic of the subgenre of Ukiyo-e this piece belongs to, called Kach\u014d-ga\/Kach\u014d-e, or \u201cbird and flower\u201d. This style is, of course, not only relegated to depictions of birds and flowers but rather encompasses a large variety of nature imagery, in a specific and concentrated way. Kach\u014d-e prints often depicted just one plant, accompanied by one animal, in a tranquil portrait of nature focused specifically on the beauty of the few subjects it depicts. These subjects were often insects, birds, fish, and flowers. This style is influenced by a long tradition of Chinese paintings depicting birds and flowers but largely differed in the simple fact that the Japanese prints were created for viewing enjoyment, rather than as any sort of reference. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2. Utamar, Kitagawa. Three Beauties of the Present Day<\/em>. Edo period (1615\u20131868), Woodblock print, 14.9 x 9.8 ” (37.9 x 24.9cm); The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The second print, Three Beauties of the Present Day<\/em>, belongs to an equally, if not more popular subcategory of Ukiyo-e called Bijin-ga, or \u201cpictures of beautiful people\u201d. Bijin-ga prints depicted real women, as well as idealized standards of beauty at the time. Many created in the Edo period were depictions of courtesans (or prostitutes) of the \u201cgreen house\u201d brothels in the walled, northern quarter of Yoshiwara. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Japanese culture towards prostitution was not exactly positive, but the attitude at the time towards prostitutes was more of a pitying one than a condemnation of immorality. These women were portrayed by some of the most popular artists at the time, like Utamaro Kitagawa, Eizan Kikugawa, and Eisen Ikeda. Utumaro was the artist of Three Beauties of the Present Day, <\/em>and actually strayed from the norm of painting courtesans in this case, instead choosing to depict three urban women. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The women in this print are Takashima Hisa, on the left, Naniwa Kita, on the right, and Tomimoto Toyohinaa, in the middle. The three were renowned for their beauty throughout the city, and Utumaro showcases their different stories and personalities beautifully in this work. The three women are posed triangularly – in a style of composition that would soon become much more popular after Utumaro\u2019s creation of this print – with subtly individual expressions and outfits that give the viewer an untold insight about them. The two flanking women, Hisa and Kita, worked at their family\u2019s teashops, which had a rivalry between them, and the woman in the middle, Toyohinaa, was a geisha. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rivalry between the two can be seen in the way they are posed directly opposite each other, looking in each other\u2019s direction, though the individual differences in personalities can also be seen here in Hisa\u2019s calmer, less narrowed gaze, closed mouth, and more neutral color of dress.\u200b\u200b Toyohinna\u2019s higher status can be seen in her placement above the other two, slightly larger and looking off into the distance, as if above it all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aside from the intriguing subject material of this work, the print was also special for the materials it was made out of. Utumaro made use of mica dust in the background in order to give the print a shimmering effect, and this print was also a Nishiki-e. Nishiki-e were full-color prints, created by a technique developed in the 18th century and attributed to Suzuki Harunobu, another artist well-known for his Bijin-ga prints. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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3. Yokoo, Tadanori. 16th Exhibition of Japan Advertising Artists Club<\/em>. (1956-66), Photolithograph, 28 x 20 1\/4″ (71.1 x 51.4 cm); The Museum of Modern Art, New York City.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By the early 20th century, the style of Ukiyo-e had branched out into several movements, many of which incorporated Western elements and merged them with the traditional imagery of Ukiyo-e. One of these movements was S\u014dsaku-hanga, or \u201ccreative prints\u201d, which left the four-person process of printmaking on the wayside. Instead, this movement focused on individual artists, who created the print wholly by themselves. The initialization of the S\u014dsaku-hanga movement is attributed to Kanae Yamamoto, with his creation of the Fisherman <\/em>print in 1904, and was followed up by many different artists eager to fully immerse themselves in the creative process, from start to finish. Much like the painting movement Y\u014dga, which came about at the same time, this style incorporated many Western ideals of art and delved into the inspiration of such movements as abstraction, folk art, naturalism, and impressionism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The third print shown here, entitled 16th Exhibition of Japan Advertising Artists Club,<\/em> was created by Tadanori Yokoo using photolithography and is a prime example of the changes in Japanese printmaking over the years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simply by looking at the print, you can see the vast differences between it and many traditional Ukiyo-e. Using the earlier Isaki and Kasago print as a parallel, given the similar subject matter of a fish in nature, these differences become even starker. The red and black ink coloring of Hiroshige\u2019s fish pale in comparison to the flat, bold expanses of color that Yokoo uses. Unlike the earlier style of the Kach\u014d-e print, the background is colorful and full, the green waves of the bottom and the flowering blue bushes of the top enclose the image, and the way the cascading waves and shining sun direct the eye toward the central dripping fish is far more exciting and emboldening than peaceful and natural. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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4. Yoshida, Hiroshi. Fujiyama from Okitsu<\/em>. (1928), Color woodblock print, 15.7 x 10.6″ (40.0 x 27.0 cm); The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Another movement that emerged from Ukiyo-e, but followed its themes more closely, was the shin-hanga (new prints) movement, following the S\u014dsaku-hanga movement in 1915. Shin-hanga artists reverted to the traditional method of the four-person process. In this process, a publisher (hanmoto) would designate the subject matter of a print and pass this idea on to an artist (eshi) who could depict the idea before passing it over again to a woodcarver (horishi).  The woodcarver would translate this onto a woodblock and complete the final passing to a printer (surishi), who would make the prints by applying ink onto the woodblock and printing it onto paper.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to sticking by this collaborative process, the Shin-hanga movement also maintained the traditional subject matter of Ukiyo-e, such as the previously discussed Kach\u014d-e and Bijin-ga styles (as well as popular genres like Shunga, a euphemism for sexual imagery meaning \u201cpictures of spring\u201d, and Yakusha-e, depictions of the actors in the wildly popular art form of Kabuki theatre). Artists rejected the Western individualism ingested in the S\u014dsaku-hanga movement alongside the inspirations of impressionism that were conglomerated, and focused only on the latter, rather than the former.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The influences of impressionism in combination with the traditional landscape subject material can be seen in the print Fujiyama from Okitsu <\/em>by Hiroshi Yoshida. As the title suggests, the print depicts a view of the famous mountain Fujiyama, with a peaceful mirror image of the mountain reflected on the lake beneath it. The pale pink light of dawn peaks out from behind the mountain, and the influences of French impressionism can be seen here, in the soft early morning sky. This piece is a landscape, a popular subject of traditional Ukiyo-e, and the image of Fujiyama is a particularly iconic one; the artist Katsushika Hokusai even created a book entitled One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji <\/em>completely filled with depictions of the mountain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The collaborative element of Ukiyo-e being revived in the Shin-Hanga movement means that the many professionals working together to create these prints are able to boost and lift eachother, as well as provide influence and inspiration. Watanabe Shozaburo, who published Yoshida\u2019s works, was a large name in the movement and published many other Shin-Hanga pieces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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5. Kitaoka, Fumio. Fishing Village of Hokuriku<\/em>. Showa period (1926-1989), Woodblock print, 24.9 x 18.8″ (63.3 x 47.7 cm); Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Landscape imagery served the pleasure-fulfilling purpose of Ukiyo-e perfectly – by allowing common people who may not have had much chance to travel and see the full expanse of nature to bask in its beauty. This in general, was one of the aspects of Ukiyo-e that made it so widely popular. The duplicatable nature of woodblock prints meant that art was now a commodity enjoyable for people of all classes. No longer were artworks relegated only to the noble classes; now commoners could cheaply enjoy and purchase them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The final print chosen is another example of the individualistic movement of S\u014dsaku-hanga. They had a motto of \u201cjiga jikoki jizuri\u201d – meaning, self-drawn, self-carved, self-printed- and were more open to experimentation of method and technique. While S\u014dsaku-hanga\u2019s sister movement, Shin-hanga, celebrated the collaborative and consumptive nature of traditional Ukiyo-e, the creative prints movement saw their process and product as more of fine art than a means of mass reproduction. This concept of individualism was not simply an issue of the art world, furthermore, but a reflection of shifting cultural values and philosophical discussions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Fishing Village of Hokuriku <\/em>by Hiroshi Yoshida is a vignette of a fisherman\u2019s village, empty but for a collection of both bright and dull buildings, with a fisherman ambling his way along the path between them. Yoshida, a pupil of Hiratsuka Unichi and true to the values of the creative print movement, is a versatile artist who experiments with many mediums and styles. He has dabbled in both realistic and abstract depictions, works using color or only black and white, and has tried his hand at European wood engraving as well as traditional Japanese woodcuts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ukiyo-e is an incredible example of Japanese art because the woodblock prints give such an excellent level of insight into Japanese culture. In them, we can see shifts in beauty standards and aesthetic preferences, and understand more about class hierarchies, intellectual ideologies, and schools of thought. They tell the stories of actors and courtesans, teashop workers, and nobles alike.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bibliography:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Bickford, Lawrence. \u201cUKIYO-E PRINT HISTORY.\u201d Impressions<\/em>, no. 17 (1993). http:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/42597774<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFumio Kitaoka – 1918-2007.\u201d artelino. Accessed May 23, 2023. https:\/\/www.artelino.com\/articles\/fumio_kitaoka.asp<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIsaki and Kasago Fish, from the Series Uozukushi (Every Variety of Fish).\u201d The Metropolitan Museum of Art, January 2, 1970. https:\/\/www.metmuseum.org\/art\/collection\/search\/55905<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJapanese Bird and Flower Prints.\u201d Japanese Bird and Flower Prints | RISD Museum. Accessed May 23, 2023. https:\/\/risdmuseum.org\/exhibitions-events\/exhibitions\/japanese-bird-and-flower-prints<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cJapanese Woodblock Prints (Ukiyo-e) \u00b7 V&A.\u201d Victoria and Albert Museum. Accessed May 23, 2023. https:\/\/www.vam.ac.uk\/articles\/japanese-woodblock-prints-ukiyo-e<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  Thompson, Sarah. \u201cThe World of Japanese Prints.\u201d Philadelphia Museum of Art Bulletin<\/em> 82, no. 349\/350 (1986): 1\u201347. http:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/3795440<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUkiyo-e Japanese Prints Movement Overview.\u201d The Art Story. Accessed May 23, 2023. https:\/\/www.theartstory.org\/movement\/ukiyo-e-japanese-woodblock-prints\/#:~:text=Ukiyo%2De%20was%20known%20for,kacho%2Dga%2C%20and%20landscape<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Volk, Alicia. \u201cYorozu Tetsugor\u014d and Taish\u014d-Period Creative Prints: When the Japanese Print Became Avant-Garde.\u201d Impressions<\/em>, no. 26 (2004): 44\u201365. http:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/42597828<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wanczura, Dieter. \u201cHiroshi Yoshida – 1876-1950.\u201d artelino, November 8, 2020. https:\/\/www.artelino.com\/articles\/hiroshi_yoshida.asp<\/a>. Wanczura, Dieter. \u201cSosaku Hanga.\u201d artelino, November 15, 2020. https:\/\/www.artelino.com\/articles\/sosaku_hanga.asp<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Introduction When looking at such iconic images as The Great Wave off Kanagawa, do most viewers consider the reason for…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":81,"featured_media":4920,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[262],"class_list":["post-3782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-edo-period","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/diluo.digital.conncoll.edu\/Asianart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3782","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/diluo.digital.conncoll.edu\/Asianart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/diluo.digital.conncoll.edu\/Asianart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diluo.digital.conncoll.edu\/Asianart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/81"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diluo.digital.conncoll.edu\/Asianart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3782"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/diluo.digital.conncoll.edu\/Asianart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3782\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4924,"href":"https:\/\/diluo.digital.conncoll.edu\/Asianart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3782\/revisions\/4924"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diluo.digital.conncoll.edu\/Asianart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4920"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/diluo.digital.conncoll.edu\/Asianart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diluo.digital.conncoll.edu\/Asianart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diluo.digital.conncoll.edu\/Asianart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}