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- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Source:
- Waseda University
- Image courtesy of
- Waseda University
Description
This unidentified Meiji-period woodblock print by Kiyochika draws from a body of work produced across several decades in which the artist repeatedly reexamined both traditional Japanese subjects and the transformed landscape of modern Tokyo. His figure prints — whether depicting geisha, Kabuki actors, or historical warriors — share with his landscape work an attention to tonal modeling that distinguishes them from the bold outlines and flat areas of color typical of his Utagawa school predecessors. The [oban](/glossary/oban) format, standard for Meiji commercial printmaking, would have structured the composition's proportions, with color registration achieved through the [kento](/glossary/kento) notch system shared by all woodblock artisans of the period. The specific iconographic details that would allow identification of this print's subject are not presently documented.