Whirlpool - last volume

Dated 1914, Whirlpool - Last Volume suggests a print created as the concluding illustration for a novel or serialized story, a context in which Kaburaki Kiyokata worked extensively during the Meiji and Taisho periods. Japanese newspaper and magazine fiction relied heavily on woodblock-printed illustrations to accompany their texts, and Kaburaki was one of the most sought-after illustrators of his generation. The whirlpool of the title may be literal, a seascape subject, or metaphorical, referring to the turbulent conclusion of a narrative. The oban format and the finished quality of the print suggest this was conceived as a standalone artwork as well as an illustration. The 1914 date places it in the Taisho period, when Kaburaki was at the height of his powers as both illustrator and independent artist.