A brief history of Japanese eras

Woodblock printing can be traced back to China in the 8th Century, where the first prints where text, rather than pictures, however it is in Japan that woodblock printing took off.

Japanese artists are typically grouped into the era that was in effect when the artist was born.

 

The Edo era (1603 - 1868)

The Tokugawa shoguns ended 100 years of civil war in Japan in the year 1600, and effectively ruled Japan in the name of the emperor for over 250 years.

The major cities of Japan at the time were Edo (now Tokyo) - where the Shogun were based, Kyoto - the capital where the emperor lived, and Osaka - the city of merchants all grew and became prosperous.

There was a rise in literacy across all levels of Japanese society, and it quickly became apparent that there was a market for books, and pictures, and this demand was met by woodblock prints, that could be mass produced.

Initially these prints focussed on famous actors from Kabuki Theatres, Geisha, or Courtesans, but as people became more prosperous, and were able to travel, landscape prints of scenic view of Japan became popular mementos of places they had seen on their travels.

During this time, Japan was relatively isolated from the rest of the world. The Tokunagawa clan banned all Japanese (on penalty of death) from traveling abroad, and foreigners were virtually banned from the country.

The exceptions to this ban was Korea, the only country which Japan had diplomatic relations with, and Dutch and Chinese Merchants, who were allowed to bring goods to the city of Nagasaki.

The merchants imported examples of western art, which allowed Japanese artists to learn from the techniques of western artists (perspective, vanishing points, and image composition), whilst also exporting Japanese art to the west.

One import that had a big impact on Japanese artists was the dye ‘Prussian Blue’ - traditionally the inks used in Woodblock printing were organic dyes that would fade. The dutch merchants imported 'Berly’s blaauw’ (Berlin Blue) - a vivid blue pigment made from oxidised iron salts.

A stable, vivid blue pigment exploded in popularity in Japanese art - the artist Hokusai was one of the first artists to embrace the colour, and he used it extensively in his series Thirty Six Views of Mount Fuji including the first picture in this series - the Great Wave, as the blue dye lent itself to depict depth in water, and distance - both of which are crucial qualities an artist want to capture in land and seascape prints.

This period of isolation lasted until 1853, when the American Commodore Matthew Perry arrived in Japan and essentially demanded that the Japanese open its ports to trade with other countries.

During this time there was a strict social hierarchy, in descending order:

  • The Samurai Warrior Class

  • The Peasant Class (who grew food)

  • Artisans (such as carpenters)

  • Merchants

 

The following lectures given at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston as part of the Hokusai exhibition in 2015 provide a great deal of information on events in the Edo era, and provide an insight in to the works of Hokusai

 
 

The Meiji era (1868 - 1912)

 

The first half of the Empire of Japan, when society transformed from being a fudal society governed by local Samuri to a modern industrialised nation state. Before this, there was no real Japanese identity, as the social hierarchy enforced by the Samurai did not promote any social cohesion.

The era lasted until the death of the Emperor Meiji in 1912, and during this time the country experienced significant social and political changes, as well as a number of reforms that propelled Japan - previously virtually isolated from the rest of the world for 200 years - into the modern world.

The Meiji era exposed Japanese art to the rest of the world, allowing Japanese artists to study abroad, whilst allowing European artists to come to Japan to share their knowledge and skill.

Chinese art also had a considerable influence on Meiji- era art - for example an attention to plant or animal life. Many art works also included motifs shuch as cranes, rabbits, fish, or dragons - which are embedded in Chinese culture.

The Shin-hanga movement (1900 - 1960s)

 

Not a historical era, but an art-movement in early 20th-centurry Japan, that saw the rebirth of ukiyo-e art. Shin-hanga (新版画, (新版画) translates into English as ‘new-prints’. Prints produced by artists in the Shin-hanga movement retained the traditional ukiyo-e style of collaboration where the artist, carver, and printer each performed their distinct tasks.

The artistic style was inspired by European Impressionism (which in itself had been influenced by ukiyo-e artists from earlier eras), and incorporates elements such as light (reflections, and illuminations), but still focused on the traditional themes of landscapes, famous places, beautiful women, kabuki actors, and birds and flowers.

Shin-hanga prints were mainly targeted at a Western audience, there was little interest for these prints in Japan, as the Japanese considered them mass commercial products rather than fine art.

During World War II, Shin-hanga declined, as the Japanese military government censored arts and culture, and overseas demand drastically reduced.

Shin-hanga never regained its original momentum after the war, however in the early 21st century, there was an increase in demand for prints (and reprints) by early masters such as Kawase Hasui (1883 - 1957) and Hiroshi Yoshida (1876 - 1950) - the father of Toshi Yoshida, who’s work appears in this collection.

There was a parallel movement - Soak-hanga (Creative Prints) which advocated the principals of ‘self-drawn’, ‘self-carved’ and ‘self-printed’, where the artist performed all three roles to have full control over how the final print would appear. Some artists even self-published their work.

New artists such as Paul Binnie (1967 - ) have continued the Shin-hanga style, but has the skills to carve and print himself.