Yoshiiku Utagawa, The Five Nations, Gankiro Tea House

Western culture proved a consistent fascination to Japanese woodblock artists. The limited contact with the West imposed by the Japanese regime in the Edo period created endless curiosity that artists were eager to satisfy, although the situations they imagined were sometimes far from being accurate. It is evident from these prints that the Japanese were fascinated by the clothing, the strange habits and the occupations of the foreigners.

Throughout the Edo Period (1603 - 1868), Japan adopted a sakoku (closed country) policy. Sakoku was a system in which strict regulations were placed on commerce and foreign relations by the shogunate and certain feudal domains. Trade was limited, except for the port of Nagasaki where the Dutch and Chinese were the only ones allowed to operate. In 1859 the port of Yokohama was opened to foreigners, and ukiyo-e artists, primarily of the Utagawa school, produced hundreds of woodblock print designs in response to a general curiosity about strangers. This print shows a gathering of foreigners enjoying the company of Japanese entertainers.

The Gankiro Teahouse was a lavish establishment that tended to a foreign clientele near the end of the Edo period. Situated in the port of Yokohama, the town was in frequent contact with foreign nations after the relaxation of Japan’s strict closed door policy. Various artists have explored the intermingling of foreigners and Japanese at the Gankiro Teahouse during this time, undoubtedly intrigued and inspired by the novel access to faraway lands after a long period of isolationism. The depictions of the Gankiro Teahouse often focus on its extravagant interior or the carousing and dinner parties that took place there.