Hanga
- by Kobayashi Kiyochika — Japanese Woodblock print

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by Kobayashi Kiyochika

Medium:
Woodblock print
Image courtesy of
Metropolitan Museum of Art

Description

A nocturnal scene characteristic of Kiyochika's mature practice, this print employs his well-developed vocabulary of light effects to describe a Tokyo location at dusk or after dark. The composition probably features a body of water — the Sumida River and its tributaries were recurring subjects — with light reflected across the surface in broken horizontal strokes. The bokashi technique, applied through careful baren pressure on dampened washi, created smooth tonal transitions from illuminated water to darkened sky that no earlier woodblock tradition had achieved. Kiyochika registered these prints with the Meiji government's publishing bureau as required, and his series on Tokyo views sold steadily through the 1870s and into the 1880s.

More Prints by Kobayashi Kiyochika

Frequently Asked Questions

- was created by Kobayashi Kiyochika (小林清親).