“Japan: Myths to Manga” - exhibition on Japanese Ukiyo-e woodblock prints

I recently went to the V&A exhibition on Japanese Ukiyo-e art. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The term Ukiyo-e (I think pronounced: you-kay-ohh-way (?) ) refers to the “floating world pictures” that emerged in Japan (esp. among the merchant class) in 17th century and flourished in the 18th to 19th-century.

For a long time, Japan was closed off from the world. They relied on traditional and strict social order. Samurai at the top ... followed by artisans and farmers ... and then the lowly merchant class at the bottom of the social order. Social mobility between the class was prohibited. And since tax rates were arbitrarily fixed in a period of relative peace, the merchant class benefited most from the city’s rapid economic growth.

This class developed the Yoshiwara (pleasure quarters) and they relished pictures of geishas, courtesans, and the kabuki theatre — especially featuring female beauty. However, by the 19th century, artists such as Hokusai, made landscape images popular too. 

Ukiyo-e is originally a Buddhist term referring to the transitory and ephemeral nature of life. It was applied to the “Yoshiwara district” (red light) of ​​the city of Edo (modern-Tokyo) during the Edo period (1603-1868). It housed brothels, theatres and tea houses. Edo became the seat of government for the military dictatorship in the early 17th century. 

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Sunrise at Susaki on New Year’s Day - Utagawa Hiroshige

Utagawa Hiroshige was one of the famous masters of the Ukiyo-e woodblock printing tradition.

He created thousands of prints of everyday life and landscape in Edo period Japan with colourful & saturated ambience.

Here, it is clear that blazing sun is deeply connected to Japanese culture. The country’s name in Japanese, “Nihon”, means “origin of the sun”. Moreover, it is considered good luck to see the first sunrise of the year, aka “Hatsuhinode”.

Hiroshige wanted the rising sun to saturate the background of the buildings ... but he also wanted to bring us closer to the 2 ladies on the bridge.

According to the V&A:

This is the first of a set of three designs unusual for the way in which the distance between viewer and subject progressively decreases, so that the focus of attention shifts from the overall view of this design to a stylishly clad woman in the third. 

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Star Festival at Yanagishima - by Utagawa Hiroshige

The woman designed by Hiroshige is sitting in a roofed pleasure boat.

The bridge is the “Yanagishima Bridge” (which looks like still stands today?). This is supposed to depict a religious festival (the “Tanabata Festival”) in which stars prefigure the culture in terms of stories and guidance.

As before, I noticed women’s’ line of sight towards our right-hand space. Very stylish too, and the spatial depth engaging (if not at all in line with Brunelleschi).

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The Seventh Month (from the series “The Five Festivals”) - by Utagawa Kunisada

Magical. Utterly beautiful.

The dresses colouring is astonishingly vibrant and fantastical. Mixed with the dancers motions, it creates a breathtaking dynamism.

These transfixing women are gliding and dancing to celebrate the “Tanabata festival” (see above) on the seventh day of the seventh month.

According to legend, when the stars Vega and Altair are aligned, two lovers are reunited. He herds cows, and she weaves fine silk.

The surface of a lake over which fly? The wind is clearly blowing through.

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The Origins of Sacred Dance at the Heavenly Rock Cave - by Utagawa Kunisada

“Amaterasu no Ōkami” is the goddess of the sun who brings light to the world.

When her brother misbehaves, Amaterasu is frightened and hides in a cave. But, when she seals herself in, darkness falls on everything.

In this painting, gods and goddesses gather at the cave. They sing, dance and drum ... to tempt Amaterasu out of the cave.

What is interesting is the luminous lines of gold which transect the painting & remind me of Gauguin’s use of colours. The ground is abstracted and we have drapery behind the woodblock’s sun rays.

It’s also interesting how the aesthetic transformation of depth in a distinctly three-dimensional scene turns it into a playful, dynamic two-dimensional plane.

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The Former Emperor from Sanuki Sends Allies to Rescue Tametomo - by Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Wow!

What a chilling fish (those scales, teeth and eyes!) and the incredible blue waves and ghost-like goblins saving the epic Samurai warriors.

Under Japan’s waves, the seas are packed with life. Japan’s folklore is about encounters with their sea creatures.

The gigantic terrifying fish has mouth wide open with razor teeth. The goblins straddle the fish and rescue warriors.

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Urashima Taro and the Dragon Palace in the Sea - by Ogata Gekko

This is the tale of “Urashima Taro”:

One day, a fisherman called Urashima Taro saves a turtle. In thanks, the turtle takes him to the underwater palace of the dragon king. There she magically transforms into a princess. She gives Urashima Taro a beautiful box but tells him never to open it. Homesick, he returns to dry land, only to discover that many years have passed. Despite the princess’s warning, Urashima Taro opens the box. The missing years catch up with him and in an instant, he becomes an old man!

The city life blends into clouds as Taro flies.

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Treasure Ship - By Utagawa Hiroshige

Colours are so vibrant. Beautiful crests on the waves ...

At the New Year, many Japanese used to place pictures of the Seven Gods of Fortune on a treasure ship under their pillows for a happy year ahead.

In Japanese mythology, there are Seven Gods of Good Fortune. They ride together in a glittering treasure ship & each god brings good luck to people in different jobs. Fishermen, farmers, dancers etc..

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The Whirlpools in Awa Province (from the series Famous Places in the Provinces) - by Utagawa Hiroshige

Waves are v. beautiful. Love the crepuscular sunshine on the horizon.

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Woman and Children by the Sea - by Utagawa Hiroshige

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The Eighth Month - by Ishikawa Toyomasa

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The Great Wave off Kanagawa - by Katsushika Hokusai

Discussed in a following blog post here.