Japan Art and Torrential Rain: The Storm and Working Poor
Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
In modern Japan, the rights of the working poor are getting worse after reforms introduced “the flexibility of labor” under former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi (2001-2006) – aka, the exploitation of labor hidden by the manipulation of words. Hence, temporary work is on the rise, the gig economy (no rights), the exploitation of elderly workers, and countless millions of women are nothing more than cheap labor in Japan to serve the capitalist system.
The above print is by Utagawa Kuniyoshi. He was born in the late eighteenth century and died in 1861 during the Edo Period. Kuniyoshi depicts ordinary people and workers during the storm.
Above is a stunning print by Takahashi Shōtei (Hiroaki). He was born in the early Meiji Period. Sadly, he died during the last year of the war in 1945. Therefore, he died at a time of sorrow and destruction.
The print by Shōtei above was a literal storm for hundreds of millions of people impacted by the convulsions of war during the final years of his life. However, for the working poor, the storms generated by nature replicate the storm of life – a constant struggle.
The final print is by Ando Hiroshige (1797-1858). Once more, ordinary people and workers are caught out by the torrential rain. Therefore, all three prints highlight the working poor who continue to work outside despite the torrential rain and the brutal storm depicted by Shōtei.
Hiroshige inspired impressionists from all over the Northern Hemisphere.
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