No Series Lady In Modern Dress In Taisho Era

Depicting a woman in modern Taisho-era (1912-1926) clothing, this oban woodblock print by Chigusa Kotani captures the transformative moment when Western fashion began to appear alongside traditional kimono in Japanese daily life. The Taisho period saw bobbed hair, cloche hats, Western dresses, and other imported styles adopted by urban women who became known as "moga" (modern girls). Kotani's decision to portray a woman in contemporary dress rather than historical costume reflects the shin-hanga movement's willingness to document the present alongside the idealized past. The print records a specific cultural moment when Japanese women's wardrobes became a visible marker of the tensions between tradition and modernity that defined Taisho society, a subject that fascinated artists, writers, and social commentators alike.