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- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Source:
- Waseda University
- Image courtesy of
- Waseda University
Description
This Kawanabe Kyosai woodblock print has not been matched to a known title or series based on available records. Kyosai's output during the Meiji period (from 1868 onward) reflects both continuity with Edo-period pictorial traditions and a direct response to the rapidly changing visual culture surrounding him — Western-style illustration, photographic portraiture, and imported print genres all circulated in the same urban marketplace as traditional [nishiki-e](/glossary/nishiki-e). His prints from this period sometimes incorporate hybrid visual elements, juxtaposing Japanese compositional conventions with Western-influenced spatial depth or perspective. The print is produced on [washi](/glossary/washi) using the layered woodblock technique, with individual blocks carved for each color and printed in sequence by a specialist printer working from Kyosai's original design.