One Hundred Years of Ukiyo-e at Toshidama Gallery By toshidama Japanese woodblock prints had been fairly commonplace on the Edo scene by the turn of the nineteenth century. What we now term the ‘classical school’; that is, the artists that were satellites of Moronobu, Utamaru, Haronobu and Masanobu, were becoming old and the work – it [...]
The World of Ukiyo-e : Japan Ukiyo-e Museum in Matsumoto Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Ukiyo-e expresses the richness of Japanese culture, nature, history, mythology, theatre, stunning landscapes, and highlights the importance of entertainment and other areas. Also, ukiyo-e shows vivid images of sexuality and some shunga is extremely explicit even by the standards [...]
Japanese art and Kawanabe Kyosai: the power of folklore and culture Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Japanese artist Kawanabe Kyosai is extremely fascinating because of his individualistic spirit and this is witnessed in his art. Kyosai, just like the mysterious Tengu, belonged to two worlds and this applies to the old Edo period [...]
Toshidama Gallery and Japanese art: stunning ukiyo-e By toshidama Why? Why would these artists paint the same motif so many times over so many years? There is undoubtedly for both artists a spiritual dimension to their constant interest. For Hokusai who was a devout Buddhist, as for many Japanese, Fuji was symbolic of eternal life, [...]
Japanese art and culture: Ogata Gekko, Japanese ladies and ukiyo-e Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Ogata Gekko was a very individualistic artist and he had a rich style which was based on his upbringing. This applies to mainly being self-taught but this can be over-played because his free spirit was from within and times [...]
Japanese art and culture: Yōshū Chikanobu (Chikanobu Toyohara) and ukiyo-e Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times This is a brief glimpse into the art work of Yoshu Chikanobu (Chikanobu Toyohara) who witnessed major changes in Japan. He lived between 1838 and 1912 and this period in Japanese history is very dynamic. This applies to the [...]
Japanese art and ukiyo-e: Keisai Eisen and the View of Shogetsu Pond Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Keisai Eisen was a complex individual because he could compose stunning images of tranquility but private matters were more complex and he apparently owned a brothel and was a heavy drinker. However, the image of the View [...]
West Meets East in Japanese Prints (earlier than expected) by toshidama Most people tend to think of Japan as being sealed from the rest of the world until Commander Perry’s famous gunboat diplomacy of 1854. This is true in the main but there are notable examples of Dutch fraternisation prior to the reforms that led to [...]
Japanese art and culture: Japan Ukiyo-e Museum in Matsumoto Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Japan is a nation which is very rich in art and culture and the uniqueness of the Shinto faith sums up this country in a certain way. After all, nearly all developed nations had their indigenous faiths swept away [...]
Boys and Girls… Gender, Kabuki and Japanese Prints By toshidama Japanese prints can be confusing territory for those seeking certainty. Artists of the ukiyo-e revelled in “look and compare” pictures or mitate-e as it is called. Borrowing from the traditions of poetry, mitate-e pictures play ironically with the knowingness of the audience, substituting contemporary actors for [...]
Techniques in Japanese Prints IV – Bokashi Toshidama Gallery By toshidama Bokashi (shading) Probably the most common advanced technique in woodblock prints is termed bokashi which means shading or transition. It is so universal in some artists’ work that it seems barely noticeable but it nevertheless provides extraordinary variety and depth to a print as [...]
Imaginary Journeys – Hiroshige’s Tokaido Road By toshidama There are two recent publications celebrating Hiroshige’s views of Japan: Nancy Gaffield’s poem cycle Tokaido Road (C B Editions £7.99) and Taschen’s Hiroshige – 100 Famous Views of Edo. The former is an imaginary journey along the famous Tokaido highway; one poem for each of the 53 stations, [...]
| Today | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|
 Thunderstorm 70° | 54° |  Clear 75° | 61° |  Partly Cloudy 75° | 61° |
Japanese Yen Exchange Rate