Many people have probably seen the wonderful Japanese ukiyo-e prints, which became especially popular in the Edo period. They inspired the impressionists and, in general, all the fashionable artists of the mid-to-late 19th century, and ordinary Europeans, who first became acquainted with the works of Japanese printmakers, were so enchanted by them that they paid big money for the seemingly inconspicuous sheets of paper.
However, the Japanese themselves did not consider ukiyo-e prints to be works of art, and initially these prints had a more than mundane function: they advertised all sorts of “fun houses” and their inhabitants, served as posters and advertisements for the Kabuki theater, and illustrated fiction of the lowest order. In this article, we will talk about what is so special about ukiyo-e prints and why they became so popular.
Actor Segawa Kikunojo III as Miuraiya Takao. Portraits and Famous Places in Edo series
The Japanese borrowed woodblock printing, or woodblock printing, from the Chinese in the 8th century and initially used it exclusively for religious purposes: they printed images of all sorts of Buddhist saints and illustrated sacred texts. In 1603, Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu moved the capital to the small town of Edo, located in the swamps.
But even the marshy terrain did not become an obstacle to its rapid development, Edo grew and is now known as Tokyo. A new class of residents of this country was formed there: poor artisans and merchants. They became the main buyers of ukiyo-e prints, fortunately their cost was quite comparable to the price of a bowl of noodles. The themes of these prints were quite traditional: blossoming sakura, the moon, geisha, views of local attractions, including the cheerful quarter of Yoshiwara.
Utagawa Hiroshige. Cherry Blossoms in the Evening at Nakonomashi in Yoshiwara. Famous Places of the Eastern Capital Series
Utagawa Hiroshige was especially successful in depicting the beauty of the new capital, creating the famous series of prints "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo". Not all of these views were always depicted with documentary accuracy, but they were very beautiful and picturesque.
Colors did not appear in ukiyo-e prints right away. The first prints were black and white and were a kind of book, sometimes united by one theme, like modern Japanese manga. But gradually they began to be hand-colored with cinnabar, adding a reddish color. This was done for the first time in 1660 by Hishikawa Moronobu, who became the founder of traditional Japanese prints. He sold the sheets separately, reasonably arguing that they were quite suitable for a real painting "for the poor."
Hishikawa Moronobu. Lovers' Embrace
But Suzuki Harunobu specialized in expensive polychrome works, called "brocade pictures," and gradually ukiyo-e prints became popular in all strata of Japanese society.
Suzuki Harunobu. A Woman Unfolds a Love Letter
By the way, ukiyo-e is a Buddhist concept meaning the transience of all things and the surrounding reality, and famous ukiyo-e masters were excellent at conveying this very transience. Their works are full of dynamics and reflect the subtle changing states of nature depending on the season, weather and lighting. It is not surprising that the impressionists chose ukiyo-e prints as one of their main sources of inspiration.
Utagawa Hiroshige. Night view of Sanya-bori Canal near Mount Matsuchiyama. Series "100 Famous Views of Edo"
Engravings were created by several masters who specialized in their work, and the artist here, unlike easel painting, was far from the main creator. He drew an image with ink on transparent paper, which still had to be cut out on a board, and a lot depended on the skill of the carver. This work was very labor-intensive, often several people worked on one matrix board: a master and apprentices.
The master cut out the faces and hairstyles, and the apprentices cut out the clothes, some minor details, and landscape elements. The printer, having received instructions from the artist, mixed paints and pigments so that the engravings were colored, and made prints. And finally, the censor came into play, making sure that the engravings did not depict real government figures or echoes of any social or political events. In this way, ukiyo-e engravings are fundamentally different from Western caricatures.
Katsushika Hokusai. Great wave in Kanagawa
The publisher also played an important role. He attracted the right people, and the success of the prints depended largely on the skill of the team creating them. The publisher could bring to the forefront an artist he liked, and it was thanks to the patronage of the publisher Tsutaya Juzaburo that the world learned about Hokusai and Utamaro.
Rice locust Red dragonfly Pink flowers Chinese bells. Kitagawa Utamaro. 1788
Due to the rampant censorship, artists were limited in their choice of subjects for their works. These were usually portraits of various famous Kabuki actors with or without make-up, the so-called yakusha-e, and images of beauties, called bijinga, in which the famous Utamaro excelled.
Kitagawa Utamaro. Three Beauties of Our Time. Kitagawa Utamaro. 1792-1793
They were not drawn just like that: they served as a kind of advertisement for local geishas, inhabitants of tea houses and yujo. Later, artists began to create engravings based on historical events and various greeting cards for the next Buddhist holiday or other significant occasion. They were issued in small editions by special order and only people of the upper classes could afford such a greeting.
Women Walking in the Garden - Katsushika Hokusai. 1798
Lovers
Shunga were also popular - immodest engravings, the level of frankness of which was often completely unacceptable for Europeans. The Japanese used shunga as a kind of educational aid for newlyweds, and in general they treated physical intimacy as a natural sphere of life and did not see anything reprehensible in it. However, they tried to avoid scenes of direct food intake in engravings, although various aspects of the tea ceremony were very popular with Japanese ukiyo-e masters.
Geisha in her lover's room - Kitagawa Utamaro
Shower. Kitagawa Utamaro
A favorite theme was also illustrating various legends and tales, and the scarier the better. Artists created entire series of such illustrations, for example, Hokusai's "100 Ghost Stories."
Utagawa Kuniyoshi. The Ghost of Oiwa
They often depicted various animals, birds and even fish. Animalism even received a special name, katyuga, and, unlike the Europeans, the most famous artists did not neglect it.
Utagawa Kuniyoshi. Japanese Fish Tales: The Last Stage of the Alcoholic Party
Well, and later than all other genres, landscapes began to be depicted. Here, a real revolution was made by Hokusai, his album "36 views of Fuji" was so popular that it made a name for this artist, and at the same time gave rise to many imitations.
Katsushika Hokusai. Southern Evening. Clear Day. (Red Fuji)
Now ukiyo-e have long since moved from the category of mass-produced "pictures for the poor" to the status of real works of art, for which collectors are willing to pay good money. Well, the famous "Great Wave off Kanagawa" is exhibited in the best museums in the world, such as the Metropolitan Museum and the British Museum in London. So ukiyo-e is all very serious.
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