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Meiji prints

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The Meiji period in Japan denotes the 45-year reign of the Meiji Emperor running from 23 October 1868 to 30 July 1912. For Japan this was a period of major upheaval. With his naval fleet admiral Perry from the United States had just forced the Japanese people to open up to the outside world. This event resulted in the introduction of Western inventions like photography and bookprint presses in Japan, threatening to put many experienced woodblock print carvers and printers out of business. As a result of all the isolated centuries spent in passing down the crafts of woodblock carving and printing from one generation to the next in a master-pupil relationship, carvers and printers still in business at that time of Japanese history seem to have been at the very top of their craftman abilities.

The prints produced in the Meiji era that I was able to obtain are displayed on this page. Please click on any of these images to find out more about their size, publication date, provenance, enlargements, and the English translation of the Japanese texts on each print.

Some of these prints are special in the sense that they were not published separately but as free additions to magazines and novels. These prints called kuchi-e (literally meaning: mouth-pictures) typically have two clearly visible vertical folding lines. Along these lines, kuchi-e prints were folded in order to fit them into the magazines and books - smaller in size than the prints themselves - to which they were added as freebees. This is how a kuchi-e print - in this case ‘The scent of chrysanthemums’ by Kajita Hanko, see below - looks when being folded:

A fascinating account of the historical context and technical aspects of the making of these kuchi-e prints can be seen in this YouTube video of David Bull.

Another special type of Japanese woodblock prints from the Meiji era are those that were published in the form of illustrated orihon or folding albums. Prints in illustrated orihon would first be published separately until the time when a designated number of prints for a certain series had been produced. Once the designated number of prints for a certain series was ready, the publisher would bundle and sell them all together in a folding album. These folding albums usually contain an extra title print showing both the series title as well as a list of the names of the individual prints.

A number of orihon published in the Meiji period were based on sets of twelve ōban-sized yoko-e (i.e., horizontal prints), each print usually dedicated to one month of the year and always containing the series title in a cartouche located in the right margin of the print. By necessity these yoko-e had to be folded in order to accomodate them into the illustrated orihon book format in which they were issued. These yoko-e are therefore characterized by one clearly visible vertical fold right down the middle of the print.

This is how one of these horizontal print orihon or folding albums - the Mitsui Gonomi folding album with prints designed by Mizuno Toshikata - looks when closed and seen from the front (left), and when opened to one of its pages (right):

Front cover of the Mitsui Gonomi folding album of Mizuno Toshikata	Opened Mitsui Gonomi folding album displaying one of its prints

As unfortunately often happens with Japanese illustrated books (irrespective of the era in which they were published), dealers and owners tend to take these albums apart and then sell the prints separately in order to increase profits. However, for prints extracted by dealers and owners from orihon or folding albums in the Meiji era the vertical fold (and sometimes also the glue residues found on both the left and right border of the verso of these prints where the prints were glued together) still identifies them as having originally been part of an album.

Considering all this, it is interesting to note that horizontal prints issued in these folding albums lacking a central vertical fold (i.e, published separately) are therefore generally older (and therefore potentially more valuable) than those including a central vertical fold (i.e, published later as part of an orihon album).

So far I have been able to obtain yoko-e from the following twelve illustrated orihon or folding albums all issued in the Meiji era, either by publisher Akiyama Buemon (firm name Kokkeidō) or by publisher Matsuki Heikichi (firm name Daikokuya):

• Arai Kanpō’s Shōnen Rekishi album published ca. 1900-1910s by Akiyama Buemon (3 prints)

• Bihō’s complete Azuma Sugata album published ca. 1910 by Akiyama Buemon

• Ikeda Shōen’s complete Yaekasumi album published in 1906 by Akiyama Buemon

• Ikeda Terukata’s complete Edo no Nishiki album published ca. 1910 by Akiyama Buemon

• Ikeda Terukata’s complete Senshu no Hana album published in 1897 by Akiyama Buemon

• Mizuno Hidekata’s Katei no Hana album published ca. 1907 by Akiyama Buemon (5 prints)

• Mizuno Toshikata’s complete Imayō Bijin album published in 1898 by Akiyama Buemon

• Mizuno Toshikata’s complete Mitsui Gonomi Miyako no Nishiki album published in 1893 by Akiyama Buemon

• Yamamoto Shōun’s Shiki no Nagame album published in 1906 by Matsuki Heikichi (7 prints)

• Yamamoto Shōun’s first Kodomo Asobi album published in 1906 by Matsuki Heikichi (1 print)

• Yamamoto Shōun’s third Kodomo Asobi album published in 1907 by Matsuki Heikichi (4 prints)

• Yōshū Chikanobu’s Azuma Fūzoku album published in 1901 by Matsuki Heikichi (8 prints and its title page/table of contents)

Some of these prints are older, not having a vertical fold, while others - clearly containing a vertical fold - were published later as part of an orihon or folding album.

To my knowledge, only one other such yoko-e illustrated orihon or folding album was published in the Meiji era. This is Yamamoto Shōun’s second Kodomo Asobi album published by Matsuki Heikichi in 1906.

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Yōshū Chikanobu (1838-1912) - Beauty no. 35 in the Shin Bijin (True Beauties) series	Yōshū Chikanobu (1838-1912) - Beauty no. 24 in the Shin Bijin (True Beauties) series	Yōshū Chikanobu (1838-1912) - Beauty no. 18 in the Shin Bijin (True Beauties) series
Yōshū Chikanobu (1838-1912) - Monday - Autumn moon over the Sumida river (left)	Yōshū Chikanobu (1838-1912) - Monday - Autumn moon over the Sumida river (middle)	Yōshū Chikanobu (1838-1912) - Monday - Autumn moon over the Sumida river (right)
Mizuno Toshikata (1866-1908) - Jakkō-in temple	Takeuchi Keishū (1861-1943) - New Year’s street musician	Tomioka Eisen (1864-1905) - Woman with umbrella
Kajita Hanko (1870-1917) - Plum	Kajita Hanko (1870-1917) - The scent of chrysanthemums	Kaburaki Kiyokata (1878-1972) - Light snow
Terasaki Kōgyō (1866-1919) - Sea-bathing beauty	Ogata Gekkō (1859-1920) - Boy on an ox picking blossoms	Ikeda Shōen (1886-1917) - The end of spring
Kobayashi Kiyochika (1847-1915) - Rain at Shin Ōhashi bridge, Tokyo	Kobayashi Kiyochika (1847-1915) - Distant view of Ryōgoku at Moto Yanagi bridge	Kobayashi Kiyochika (1847-1915) - Sumida river at night
Kobayashi Kiyochika (1847-1915) - February: A snowy twilight at Matsuchiyama hill (left)	Kobayashi Kiyochika (1847-1915) - February: A snowy twilight at Matsuchiyama hill (middle)	Kobayashi Kiyochika (1847-1915) - February: A snowy twilight at Matsuchiyama hill (right)
	Yamamoto Shōun (1870-1965) - Ima Sugata: Misuji
Takejirō Hasegawa (1853-1938) - Sword & Blossom Poems: First album	Takejirō Hasegawa (1853-1938) - Sword & Blossom Poems: Second album	Takejirō Hasegawa (1853-1938) - Sword & Blossom Poems: Third album
Ikeda Terukata (1883-1921) - Edo no Nishiki: Front cover	Ikeda Terukata (1883-1921) - Edo no Nishiki: Title page/Introduction/Table of contents
Ikeda Terukata (1883-1921) - Edo no Nishiki: Young woman at the sakura bathhouse	Ikeda Terukata (1883-1921) - Edo no Nishiki: Tediousness	Ikeda Terukata (1883-1921) - Edo no Nishiki: Girl with love letter
Ikeda Terukata (1883-1921) - Edo no Nishiki: Woman with an umbrella standing by a palanquin under cherry blossoms	Ikeda Terukata (1883-1921) - Edo no Nishiki: Spring day	Ikeda Terukata (1883-1921) - Edo no Nishiki: Beauty gazing at the beach
Ikeda Terukata (1883-1921) - Edo no Nishiki: A young woman with umbrella	Ikeda Terukata (1883-1921) - Edo no Nishiki: Wisteria blossoms	Ikeda Terukata (1883-1921) - Edo no Nishiki: Woman on a bridge under a full moon
Ikeda Terukata (1883-1921) - Edo no Nishiki: Flower letter	Ikeda Terukata (1883-1921) - Edo no Nishiki: Young woman with lamp	Ikeda Terukata (1883-1921) - Edo no Nishiki: Geisha and servant
Ikeda Terukata (1883-1921) - Edo no Nishiki: Woman smoking at a roadside teashop	Ikeda Terukata (1883-1921) - Edo no Nishiki: Woman attaching a paper strip to a maple branch	Ikeda Terukata (1883-1921) - Edo no Nishiki: Young woman walking in snow
Ikeda Terukata (1883-1921) - Senshu no Hana: Front cover	Ikeda Terukata (1883-1921) - Senshu no Hana: Title page/Table of contents
Ikeda Terukata (1883-1921) - Senshu no Hana: The warbler's first call	Ikeda Terukata (1883-1921) - Senshu no Hana: Picking flowers	Ikeda Terukata (1883-1921) - Senshu no Hana: Watching the cherry blossoms
Ikeda Terukata (1883-1921) - Senshu no Hana: Lady composing a waka	Ikeda Terukata (1883-1921) - Senshu no Hana: Lady watching irises	Ikeda Terukata (1883-1921) - Senshu no Hana: A lady gardening and butterfly
Ikeda Terukata (1883-1921) - Senshu no Hana: Firefly hunting	Ikeda Terukata (1883-1921) - Senshu no Hana: Two ladies by a river watching the full moon	Ikeda Terukata (1883-1921) - Senshu no Hana: Woman washing her hands at a water fountain
Ikeda Terukata (1883-1921) - Senshu no Hana: Three girls with a Japanese flag	Ikeda Terukata (1883-1921) - Senshu no Hana: Young woman under a maple tree	Ikeda Terukata (1883-1921) - Senshu no Hana: Woman in snow
Ikeda Shoen (1886-1917) - Yaekasumi: Front cover	Ikeda Shoen (1886-1917) - Yaekasumi: Title page/Table of contents
Ikeda Shoen (1886-1917) - Yaekasumi: A quiet talk over the brazier	Ikeda Shoen (1886-1917) - Yaekasumi: A snowy morning	Ikeda Shoen (1886-1917) - Yaekasumi: Schoolgirls homeward bound
Ikeda Shoen (1886-1917) - Yaekasumi: Gathering flowers in a spring field	Ikeda Shoen (1886-1917) - Yaekasumi: A duet on the veranda	Ikeda Shoen (1886-1917) - Yaekasumi: A rainy morning in spring
Ikeda Shoen (1886-1917) - Yaekasumi: Iris flowers	Ikeda Shoen (1886-1917) - Yaekasumi: The rainy season	Ikeda Shoen (1886-1917) - Yaekasumi: Lotus flowers and fair maidens
Ikeda Shoen (1886-1917) - Yaekasumi: A sweet melody on a moonlit night	Ikeda Shoen (1886-1917) - Yaekasumi: Sketching the landscape	Ikeda Shoen (1886-1917) - Yaekasumi: Feeding pigeons
Mizuno Toshikata (1866-1908) - Mitsui Gonomi Miyako no Nishiki: Front cover	Mizuno Toshikata (1866-1908) - Mitsui Gonomi Miyako no Nishiki: Title page/Table of contents
Mizuno Toshikata (1866-1908) - Mitsui Gonomi Miyako no Nishiki: Spring - Parting of School-Chums	Mizuno Toshikata (1866-1908) - Mitsui Gonomi Miyako no Nishiki: Spring - An outing in a field	Mizuno Toshikata (1866-1908) - Mitsui Gonomi Miyako no Nishiki: Summer - Keeping off cloth-moths
Mizuno Toshikata (1866-1908) - Mitsui Gonomi Miyako no Nishiki: Summer - A cool breeze of evening	Mizuno Toshikata (1866-1908) - Mitsui Gonomi Miyako no Nishiki: Summer - An evening blossom of yakaiso (ball flower)	Mizuno Toshikata (1866-1908) - Mitsui Gonomi Miyako no Nishiki: Autumn - Sketching out-door
Mizuno Toshikata (1866-1908) - Mitsui Gonomi Miyako no Nishiki: Autumn - On a look out for a new season dress at Mitsui-Gofukuten	Mizuno Toshikata (1866-1908) - Mitsui Gonomi Miyako no Nishiki: Autumn - A walk to a country-cottage	Mizuno Toshikata (1866-1908) - Mitsui Gonomi Miyako no Nishiki: Autumn - A bright tint of maple foliage
Mizuno Toshikata (1866-1908) - Mitsui Gonomi Miyako no Nishiki: Winter - A visit from a neighbor’s petty favorite	Mizuno Toshikata (1866-1908) - Mitsui Gonomi Miyako no Nishiki: Winter - A snowy morning	Mizuno Toshikata (1866-1908) - Mitsui Gonomi Miyako no Nishiki: Winter - Snow viewing
Mizuno Toshikata (1866-1908) - Imayō Bijin: Front cover	Mizuno Toshikata (1866-1908) - Imayō Bijin: Title page/Table of contents
Mizuno Toshikata (1866-1908) - Imayō Bijin: Celebration ceremony	Mizuno Toshikata (1866-1908) - Imayō Bijin: Plum blossom viewing	Mizuno Toshikata (1866-1908) - Imayō Bijin: Garden play party
Mizuno Toshikata (1866-1908) - Imayō Bijin: Wisteria wave	Mizuno Toshikata (1866-1908) - Imayō Bijin: Japanese irises	Mizuno Toshikata (1866-1908) - Imayō Bijin: Gardening party
Mizuno Toshikata (1866-1908) - Imayō Bijin: Gifu paper lantern	Mizuno Toshikata (1866-1908) - Imayō Bijin: Cool of the evening	Mizuno Toshikata (1866-1908) - Imayō Bijin: Moon viewing
Mizuno Toshikata (1866-1908) - Imayō Bijin: Playing at the beach	Mizuno Toshikata (1866-1908) - Imayō Bijin: Fluttering near a shrine	Mizuno Toshikata (1866-1908) - Imayō Bijin: Snow viewing
Tsugumi Bihō (?-?) - Azuma Sugata: Front cover	Tsugumi Bihō (?-?) - Azuma Sugata: Title page/Table of contents
Tsugumi Bihō (?-?) - Azuma Sugata: A visitor	Tsugumi Bihō (?-?) - Azuma Sugata: First koto playing of the year	Tsugumi Bihō (?-?) - Azuma Sugata: Gathering shells
Tsugumi Bihō (?-?) - Azuma Sugata: Full-length mirror	Tsugumi Bihō (?-?) - Azuma Sugata: Irises	Tsugumi Bihō (?-?) - Azuma Sugata: Half a kaiseki
Tsugumi Bihō (?-?) - Azuma Sugata: Full moon	Tsugumi Bihō (?-?) - Azuma Sugata: Fireworks	Tsugumi Bihō (?-?) - Azuma Sugata: Loving the dog
Tsugumi Bihō (?-?) - Azuma Sugata: Reading matter	Tsugumi Bihō (?-?) - Azuma Sugata: Tea ceremony	Tsugumi Bihō (?-?) - Azuma Sugata: After the snow
Yamamoto Shōun (1870-1965) - Shiki no Nagame: The bride	Yamamoto Shōun (1870-1965) - Shiki no Nagame: Spring haze	Yamamoto Shōun (1870-1965) - Shiki no Nagame: Voice of reading
Yamamoto Shōun (1870-1965) - Shiki no Nagame: Sound of insects	Yamamoto Shōun (1870-1965) - Shiki no Nagame: Evening cool	Yamamoto Shōun (1870-1965) - Shiki no Nagame: Moonlit night
	Yamamoto Shōun (1870-1965) - Shiki no Nagame: Ferry in snow
Mizuno Hidekata (1875-1944) - Katei no Hana: Preparing afternoon tea	Mizuno Hidekata (1875-1944) - Katei no Hana: Visiting the hospital	Mizuno Hidekata (1875-1944) - Katei no Hana: After the storm
Mizuno Hidekata (1875-1944) - Katei no Hana: Writing calligraphy		Mizuno Hidekata (1875-1944) - Katei no Hana: A slight token of esteem
	Yamamoto Shōun (1870-1965) - Kodomo Asobi (1): Playing house
Yamamoto Shōun (1870-1965) - Kodomo Asobi (3): Hunting in a river	Yamamoto Shōun (1870-1965) - Kodomo Asobi (3): Moon rise	Yamamoto Shōun (1870-1965) - Kodomo Asobi (3): Persimmon
	Yamamoto Shōun (1870-1965) - Kodomo Asobi (3): Up and down
	Yōshū Chikanobu (1838-1912) - Azuma Fūzoku: Title page/Table of contents
Yōshū Chikanobu (1838-1912) - Azuma Fūzoku: Playing cards	Yōshū Chikanobu (1838-1912) - Azuma Fūzoku: Backyard cherry tree	Yōshū Chikanobu (1838-1912) - Azuma Fūzoku: Spring rain
Yōshū Chikanobu (1838-1912) - Azuma Fūzoku: Beloved child	Yōshū Chikanobu (1838-1912) - Azuma Fūzoku: Make-up	Yōshū Chikanobu (1838-1912) - Azuma Fūzoku: Sudden evening shower
Yōshū Chikanobu (1838-1912) - Azuma Fūzoku: Moon viewing		Yōshū Chikanobu (1838-1912) - Azuma Fūzoku: Visiting a shrine
Arai Kanpo (1878-1945) - Shōnen Rekishi: The Soga brothers	Arai Kanpo (1878-1945) - Shōnen Rekishi: Shōtoku Taishi	Arai Kanpo (1878-1945) - Shōnen Rekishi: Murasaki Shikibu

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