Japan has been a source of great interest to the Western world ever since the Portuguese stumbled across the islands in the 16th century, and this fascination has not faded to this day. Since Japan had developed without much outside influence the aspects of culture, religion, and art were vastly different from anything Western eyes had seen. It didn’t take long for items originating in Japan to gain great monetary value when brought into European countries. At the same time, the introduction of foreign trade had a profound impact upon Japan as a nation; while some believed that outside influences would be harmful, the majority of artistic developments occurred during the Edo period, after Japan had been involved in trade. So, in a sense, the introduction of Western culture served as a catalyst that accelerated the artistic revolution in Japan and perhaps contributed to the nation that we know today.
One of the art forms that came into being during the 1600s was the woodblock print, called Ukiyo-e. These prints were widely produced from the 17th through the 19th centuries and, as the name “images of the floating world” implies, this art form shows scenes of tranquility, harmony, and a sort of divine beauty. The method of production for these prints was a delicate and time-consuming task, but the end result was well worth the effort. Several wood blocks are cut to the size of the print. After the image is planned out the face of each block is hand carved into a relief image of a section of the image – there must be one block for every color that the image requires. Each block is dipped in ink and individually pressed onto the paper until the image is formed. One of the interesting aspects of this method is that the paper actually retains some of the imprint from the blocks being pressed into it; therefore, when light is applied from different directions onto the print there can be an illusion of depth, similar to way Van Gogh applied excessive amounts of paint to his paintings, giving them a tactile appeal (though, I wouldn’t recommend trying to reach out and touch one at an exhibit because security will not be happy with you). The earliest application of the woodblock printing process was to create illustrations for Buddhist scriptures, literature and stories. It later developed into the single print and picture book styles which are familiar today.
Subjects of the Ukiyo-e ranged from scenes in nature or buildings among nature to famous persons of Kabuki Theater or even of the body itself. The factor that links all of these subjects together is the inert beauty that the art brings out. For example, the famous printmaker Katsushika Hokusai often used Mount Fuji as his central subject and then attempted to portray it from different angles while still maintaining the majestic and divine splendor or the mountain. He printed several compilations of his prints of Mount Fuji – the Fugaku Sanjuurokkei which is a collection of thirty-six views of Fuji and perhaps the most famous Ukiyo-e collection to the Western world. Out of that collection the iconic image of The Great Wave of Kanagawa is the very image of Japanese art in many Americans’ minds. The combination of colors and the way the wave breaks into white foam resembling huge claws bearing down on the fishing boat with Fuji looking on from the distance makes this piece a good example of Hokusai’s overall work. Other important individuals include Kuniyoshi, Kunisada, and Toyokuni. Kunisada, in particular, was famous for making portraits of beautiful, young women in everyday life, or bijinga. Perhaps regarded as a little controversial, his works were no less sought after as they captured splendor in everyday life that is so easy to overlook in they rush of daily chores.
All of the previously mentioned artists produced their work during the Edo period. They were part of the artisan class, which is the almost the lowest in the Japanese system of the time. Amazingly, the early Ukiyo-e prints were not viewed as unique pieces of art as a Western painting would be. In fact, they were meant to be mass produced. Each print is commissioned by a merchant with intent to sell to the Samurai – they were attempting to decorate their lives with as much luxury as possible as the highest class. However, this does not mean that the artists did not think of themselves as such. A later development in the 18th century saw much of the Ukiyo-e content becoming more explicit. Sexual themes became commonplace in many of the popular prints. These were not so well accepted in Western cultures early on as Christianity, which was quickly becoming the dominant religion, has some sort of allergy to anything sexual. However, today many of those prints are also looked upon as masterpieces.
Ukiyo-e even had a great influence on Western art, sparking a movement called “Japonism” which was first documented in 1872. Artists such as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in France attributed much of their inspiration to Japanese art which was circulating in Paris at the time. Van Gogh himself had a personal collection of Ukiyo-e prints and one of his paintings featured Ukiyo-e images in the background. Thus, it is obvious that Japan has had a huge influence on Western artwork – the inverse being true as well. Some modern Ukiyo-e prints, also called Shin Hanga, feature elements common in both Japanese and Western art. For example, Hashiguchi Goyou made a print entitled “Woman After Bath” which features a Japanese woman in a nude pose very similar to those used in paintings of the goddess Venus. This modern work is considered the result of the mixing of cultures into a more singular entity that still retains the major qualities of the originals. Whether or not this is a good development, however, is a subject for another paper entirely.
In conclusion, the “Images of the Floating World”, Ukiyo-e, are an exquisite example of classic Japanese artwork. The woodblock prints showing the loveliness of everyday life, society, and the majesty of nature were one of the first forms of mass-produced art in Japan and quickly caught on in Western society as well. Over time Ukiyo-e have had a great influence on the perception of Japan to Westerners and serve as testaments to the Japanese spirit.
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