Nature

A common theme of woodblock prints is nature. These prints are called kachō-e, which translates to “flower-and-bird pictures”. However, the images in this genre frequently featured more than just flowers and birds, including other animals interacting in natural settings. It was Katsushika Hokusai in the 1800’s that established kachō-e as a genre due to the precision and detail seen in his work, which was often admired for its artistic beauty and scientific correctness. Even though the genre was established in the 1800s, it is still popular today for artists of woodblock prints, as Japan’s landscapes, seasonal flowers, and animals have inspired woodblock print artists for generations.

Flying Fish

by Ōno Bafuku

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Poem by Sasaki Bunzan. 'No urinating here, being a beautiful mountain of cherry blossoms.'

by Ogata Gekkō

     Print illustrates a poem by Sasaki Bunzan. The 18th century calligrapher and artist Sasaki Bunzan leans back as he writes his poem on a screen: "No urinating here, beeing a beautiful mountain of cherry blossoms." Two men peer out at the calligrapher from behind the screen, and you can see the fingers of a third grasping on to the top of the screen. The print is a good example of Ogata Gekko's unconventional approach to printmaking.

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Chrysanthemum

by Asada Benji

     Single print featuring kiku (菊) or chrysanthemum in both pink/red and yellow.

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Hollyhock

by Aoyama Masaharu

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Cherry-blossom Viewing, A

by Yōshū Chikanobu

     Part of a triptych (left). A group of court women are enjoying the cherry blossoms (sakura, 桜) on a spring day. Mt. Fuji (富士山) can be seen in the background. The women hail from the court of the Tokugawa shogunate shown by the repeating Tokugawa clan seal (mon, 紋) on the umbrellas (three hollyhock leaves inside of a circle). 16 women are pictured in total, and women in the middle and left panels seem to be playing a game together which involves being blindfolded.

Cherry-blossom Viewing, B

by Yōshū Chikanobu

     Part of a triptych (center). A group of court women are enjoying the cherry blossoms (sakura, 桜) on a spring day. Mt. Fuji (富士山) can be seen in the background. The women hail from the court of the Tokugawa shogunate shown by the repeating Tokugawa clan seal (mon, 紋) on the umbrellas (three hollyhock leaves inside of a circle). 16 women are pictured in total, and women in the middle and left panels seem to be playing a game together which involves being blindfolded. The Chiyoda Inner Palace (Chiyoda no Ōoku) series of 1895-1896, together with his 1897 series Chiyoda Outer Palace (Chiyoda no on-omote) provided detailed depictions of life in and around Edo Castle before the Meiji Restoration of 1868. In the Chiyoda Inner Palace set, Chikanobu documented various annual ceremonies in the women’s quarters, especially those at New Year’s, and seasonal activities, particularly those conducted in the palace gardens. While Chikanobu did not indicate specific events or name certain people that would link these images to a single date or time period, the scenes give an overall impression of what the shogun’s private quarters might have looked like in the mid-19th century.

Cherry-blossom Viewing, C

by Yōshū Chikanobu

     Part of a triptych (right). A group of court women are enjoying the cherry blossoms (sakura, 桜) on a spring day. Mt. Fuji (富士山) can be seen in the background. The women hail from the court of the Tokugawa shogunate shown by the repeating Tokugawa clan seal (mon, 紋) on the umbrellas (three hollyhock leaves inside of a circle). 16 women are pictured in total, and women in the middle and left panels seem to be playing a game together which involves being blindfolded. The Chiyoda Inner Palace (Chiyoda no Ōoku) series of 1895-1896, together with his 1897 series Chiyoda Outer Palace (Chiyoda no on-omote) provided detailed depictions of life in and around Edo Castle before the Meiji Restoration of 1868. In the Chiyoda Inner Palace set, Chikanobu documented various annual ceremonies in the women’s quarters, especially those at New Year’s, and seasonal activities, particularly those conducted in the palace gardens. While Chikanobu did not indicate specific events or name certain people that would link these images to a single date or time period, the scenes give an overall impression of what the shogun’s private quarters might have looked like in the mid-19th century.

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Spring-Colored Garden in Snow, A

by Yōshū Chikanobu

     Part of a triptych (left). Thirteen women are playing or enjoying music in an interior scene. One woman is playing the koto (琴) (left), one is playing a transverse flute (middle), and one is playing an ichigenkin (一絃琴) or monochord (right). There is a gold-backed floral folding screen (byōbu; 屏風) in the back of the room featuring peony and a pheasant. The windows are open to show a winter garden landscape complete with plum blossoms (ume; 梅). This particular print makes a strong use of akaline red in the carpet and kimono of the women.

Spring-Colored Garden in Snow, B

by Yōshū Chikanobu

     Part of a triptych (middle). Thirteen women are playing or enjoying music in an interior scene. One woman is playing the koto (琴) (left), one is playing a transverse flute (middle), and one is playing an ichigenkin (一絃琴) or monochord (right). There is a gold-backed floral folding screen (byōbu; 屏風) in the back of the room featuring peony and a pheasant. The windows are open to show a winter garden landscape complete with plum blossoms (ume; 梅). This particular print makes a strong use of akaline red in the carpet and kimono of the women.

Spring-Colored Garden in Snow, C

by Yōshū Chikanobu

     Part of a triptych (right). Thirteen women are playing or enjoying music in an interior scene. One woman is playing the koto (琴) (left), one is playing a transverse flute (middle), and one is playing an ichigenkin (一絃琴) or monochord (right). There is a gold-backed floral folding screen (byōbu; 屏風) in the back of the room featuring peony and a pheasant. The windows are open to show a winter garden landscape complete with plum blossoms (ume; 梅). This particular print makes a strong use of akaline red in the carpet and kimono of the women.

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