Illustrations of Production in Great Japan

Maker(s)
Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige III 歌川広重三世 (1843-1894)
Historical period(s)
Meiji era, 1877
Medium
Ink and color on paper
Dimensions
H x W: 36.8 x 24.8 cm (14 1/2 x 9 3/4 in)
Geography
Japan
Credit Line
Gift--the Elizabeth D. Woodbury collection of prints from Meiji Japan
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Collection
Accession Number
S1999.37
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Print
Type

Woodblock print

Keywords
commerce, Elizabeth D. Woodbury collection, fisherman, fishing, Japan, Meiji era (1868 - 1912), work
Provenance

From the 1960s to 1999
Elizabeth D. Woodbury, Japan and Alexandria, VA, purchased in Japan in the 1960s [1]

From 1999
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, given by Elizabeth D. Woodbury in 1999

Notes:

[1] According to Provenance Remark 1 in the object record.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Elizabeth D. Woodbury

Label

This print comprises two scenes of traditional crafts and industries as they were practiced in the first decade of the Meiji era (1868-1912). In the upper scene is the shop of a manufacturer of knives for preparing food. Blacksmiths work at right to produce the sharp steel blades, while customers crowd the shop at left to peruse the quality of the merchandise. Signs of the gradual shift in Japanese customs are seen in the Western-style umbrella and the short haircut worn by men passing by in the street.  Fishing is the theme of the lower panel. The catch is brought ashore in rowboats and loaded into baskets. A lively group at right gathers around a particularly fine fish.

Collection Area(s)
Japanese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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