Reflections of Meiji Culture
in Woodblock 'Kuchi-e' Prints
For those
of us interested in the quite uncharted territory of woodblock prints
during Japan's Meiji period (1868-1912), any serious attempt to
shed light on aspects of this field must be lauded. 'Woodblock Kuchi-e
Prints', a collaborative work by Helen Merritt and Nanako Yamada,
achieves exactly that in dealing with the genre of woodblock-printed
'kuchi-e', or 'frontispiece' images. Born out of a 'convergence
of ...Meiji novels, and a lingering affection for woodblock prints',
'kuchi-e' represents one of the final attempts at a revival of the
multicolour woodblock from around 1890-1912.
Watanabe
Seitei Beauty looking at Shinubazu Pond.
* By AMY REIGLE NEWLAND
However, rather than reflecting
the outward changes of the Meiji period a time when Japan
was entering into a modern age following its opening up to more
extensive foreign trade in the 1850s and 1860s kuchi-e
internalized and idealized Japanese tradition. Their
role as frontispieces meant that they were closely associated with
the development of Meiji popular literature and literary magazines,
most notably the Bungei
kurabu ('Literary club'). The Bungei
kurabu published kuchi-e
in almost every issue and initially they took the form
of illustrations to lead stories as well as independent stories.
They enabled the reader to visualize a story and, at the same time,
enhanced the publication's appearance.
Kuchi-e
could be on single sheets or on two facing pages, but generally
they were printed on sheets of paper larger than the publication
format and folded in. They are striking for the quality of the best
examples, being superbly printed. Their imagery, particularly that
of women, is firmly grounded in the Ukiyo-e
tradition of bijinga ('pictures
of beautiful women'). As such, they perpetuate a pictorial canon
that is purely an idealization of feminine beauty, despite the changing
roles of women in Meiji society. What is 
perhaps the most fascinating aspect of kuchi-e
to the woodblock print art historian, however, is that the artists
who were producing them were not restricted to one school, and that
their production cut across stylistic and school lineages. Kuchi-e
artists were primarily painters, but there were also
a scant number of woodblock print designers still active at this
period.
perhaps the most fascinating aspect of kuchi-e
to the woodblock print art historian, however, is that the artists
who were producing them were not restricted to one school, and that
their production cut across stylistic and school lineages. Kuchi-e
artists were primarily painters, but there were also
a scant number of woodblock print designers still active at this
period. The text of Woodblock
Kuchi-e Prints is divided into seven chapters: 'Setting
the Stage'; 'Kuchi-e
as Prints'; 'Glimpses of the Past'; 'Glimpses of the Present'; 'The
Self and Expression of Feelings'; 'Bijin-ga
and Their Meanings'; and 'Kuchi-e
Artists in the World of Meiji Painters'. Through an explanation
of the literary, artistic, and social milieu of the later Meiji
period a rich era characterized by the 'cross-fertilization'
of diverse artistic disciplines -- we are offered a broader understanding
of the elements that converge to give birth to the brief flowering
of Kuchi-e.
The textual sections in Woodblock
Kuchi-e Prints are followed by three appendices: 'Biographical
Sketches' (factual and anecdotal information); 'Fascimile Signatures
and Seals' (a helpful addition, but one would have wished for better
print quality); and 'Sources of the Kuchi-e'
(comprehensible, including Japanese and Western-language sources;
a valuable tool).
It should be remembered that authors Helen Merritt
and Nanako Yamada tackled the vacua in our knowledge regarding modern
Japanese prints in their Guide
to Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints, 1900-1975 (1992).
In Woodblock Kuchi-e Prints
, the authors must be applauded for their further collaboration
as they move out from the general and into ground breaking work
on the specific. The result is an extremely well-researched work
that does much to raise our awareness of the all too often maligned
woodblock print traditions of the Meiji period. *
Merritt, Helen and Nanako Yamada, Woodblock Kuchi-e Prints: Reflections of Meiji Culture, Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press (2000), Ill., 284 pp., ISBN 0-8248-2073-8.
Amy
Reigle Newland is a specialist editor and writer on Japanese
woodblock prints, and is currently residing in Perth, Australia.