The Kitchen Utensil Foundry at Kawaguchi — 川口鍋釜製造図
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Source:
- Japanese Art Open Database
- Image courtesy of
- Japanese Art Open Database
This print documents the iron foundries at Kawaguchi, a town north of Tokyo in Saitama prefecture long associated with cast-iron production, particularly the manufacture of pots, pans, and kettles. The full Japanese title 川口鍋釜製造図 translates as 'Scene of Pot and Kettle Manufacturing at Kawaguchi,' indicating a documentary rather than scenic purpose. Kiyochika was among the first artists to depict industrial labor as a legitimate subject for woodblock printmaking, reflecting the Meiji government's promotion of manufacturing. Foundry fires and molten metal gave him the strong artificial light sources that animated his most distinctive compositions — interior forge scenes lit by furnace glow align closely with his established interest in luminosity. Workers, equipment, and the industrial process itself appear as subject matter, marking a departure from the landscape and pleasure-district subjects that dominated earlier meisho-e traditions. The print belongs to a small group of Kiyochika images engaging directly with modern industry.
1890s
Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
1897 (Meiji 30)
Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
1896 (Meiji 29)
Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
1896 (Meiji 29)
Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
The Kitchen Utensil Foundry at Kawaguchi — 川口鍋釜製造図 was created by Kobayashi Kiyochika (小林清親).
The Kitchen Utensil Foundry at Kawaguchi — 川口鍋釜製造図 depicts daily life.
