Yoshikazu Utagawa, French Trade Office in Yokohama Port
Artist: Yoshikazu Utagawa (active 1850-1870)
Title: French Trade Office in Yokohama Port
Publisher: Maruya Jinpachi
Date: 1866
Size: (L) 36.9 x 25.2 (C) 36.8 x 25.2 (R) 36.9 x 25.2 cm
Original Japanese woodblock print.
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.
Yoshikazu Utagawa
Yoshikazu started his artistic career as a pupil of Kuniyoshi Utagawa. Later on, he designed prints in the Yokohama school style, his subject matter including foreign customs and manners as well as landscapes and warriors.
Print Format | Triptych |
---|---|
Artist | Yoshikazu Utagawa |
Subject | Yokohama-e/Nagasaki-e |
Dimensions | (L) 36.9 x 25.2 (C) 36.8 x 25.2 (R) 36.9 x 25.2 cm |
Condition Report | Slight wear, minor creases. |
Folders | In Store, FG |