Exploring Edo-Period Ukiyoe in the 21st Century

Nov. 30, 2016

Art history in Japan must be interpreted as East Asian art within the macroscopic framework of the world’s art history. Due to this historical context, however, we cannot ignore the huge presence of neighboring China. In fact, many Western art books relegate Japanese art to a fairly obscure position within the Chinese cultural sphere. Although we cannot deny that fact, we must wonder when it was that Japanese art really shone. When did Japanese art produce something entirely unique in the history of the world? Several responses from different perspectives are expected to this question, but I believe that the Edo period could be one answer. During the Edo period’s more than two-hundred-year policy of isolation from the outside world, the originality of design seen in Edo-period art could be recognized as an entirely indigenous cultural phenomenon.

The most iconic of Edo-era design has to be ukiyo-e, which was to become a driving force behind the Japonism that took Europe by storm in the mid-19th century. Ukiyo-e employed simple, flat colors and line-oriented drawings without shading. The unique features of these charming woodcuts intrigued Western audiences and piqued their curiosity. That may be one reason why the Western world has long been a leader in ukyio-e research, even surpassing Japanese research on the subject in many cases.

My personal expertise lies in Edo-period woodcuts and paintings, and I am particularly interested in the field of ukiyo-e, but I fear that when it comes to research and awareness concerning ukiyo-e, Japan still lags behind. In fact, until the Showa period (1926-1989), the study of ukiyo-e had been limited to that which focused on woodcut-related research. And so we realize that we are noticeably behind in research regarding the vast number of paintings that ukiyo-e artists have produced. Moreover, Japan has long had a prejudice against research and awareness of shunga, an erotic form of ukiyo-e, and researchers in the West have an undeniable lead in its research.

I want to dispel the common yet inaccurate and distorted appreciation of ukiyo-e as a superficial art form that is merely easy on the eyes. I realize there is a serious need to guide ukiyo-e research in a desired direction in order to give ukiyo-e artists and their wide variety of works further consideration.

Edo-period ukiyo-e also has an important place in Japan’s art history as the predecessor of manga and other forms of subculture at a time when Japan’s content business is a promising national export. As we dare to break down longstanding contradictions and taboos that surround this unique Japanese artform, ukiyo-e research now sees its fresh start in the 21st century.