$500–$4,000. Common subjects: $500–$1,500. Key value factors: As an early sosaku-hanga pioneer, Kawakami's prints have historical significance. His distinctive graphic style is collected.
"Bunmei Kaika Orai" (The Way of Civilization and Enlightenment) takes its title from the slogan of Meiji-era modernization — "Bunmei kaika" (civilization and enlightenment) was the official ideology of Japan's rapid adoption of Western technology, institutions, and customs after 1868. Kawakami's use of this phrase as a title for a print likely reflects his characteristic ironic affection for the period's enthusiastic adoption of Western things: the telegraph poles alongside temple gates, the top hats worn with hakama, the collision of worlds that Japan's modernization produced.
Woodblock print
1928
Color lithograph
1930
Color lithograph
1948
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
(Bunmei Kaika Orai) was created by Sumio Kawakami (川上澄生).
(Bunmei Kaika Orai) depicts urban scenes, figures, and travel scenes.
