Hanga

Meiji/Taishō Prints

明治大正版画

Transitional prints bridging ukiyo-e and modern printmaking, 1868–1926

c. 1868–1926

About Meiji/Taishō Prints

Meiji and Taishō era prints (1868–1926) bridge the transition from traditional ukiyo-e to the modern shin-hanga and sosaku-hanga movements. During this period, Japan underwent rapid modernization and Westernization, profoundly affecting the visual arts. Artists working in this transitional era experimented with Western techniques such as perspective, shading, and oil painting while often maintaining connections to traditional woodblock printmaking. Key figures include Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, who brought ukiyo-e to its dramatic culmination; Kobayashi Kiyochika, who pioneered light-and-shadow effects in prints; and Uemura Shoen, whose refined bijin-ga paintings influenced generations of later printmakers. The era also saw the emergence of the sōsaku-hanga ideal through Kanae Yamamoto''s 1904 "Fisherman," widely considered the first modern creative print.

Meiji/Taishō Prints Artists (74)

Suga Tatehiko, Japanese print artist

Suga Tatehiko

須賀建彦

Ozawa Nankoku, Japanese print artist

Ozawa Nankoku

小沢南谷

Adachi Ginkō, Japanese print artist

Adachi Ginkō

安達吟光

Utagawa Fusatane, Japanese print artist

Utagawa Fusatane

歌川房種

Utagawa Yoshikatsu, Japanese print artist

Utagawa Yoshikatsu

歌川芳勝

Morikawa Chikashige, Japanese print artist

Morikawa Chikashige

森川周重

A

Asakura Bunsai

朝倉文斎

Shōsai Ikkei, Japanese print artist

Shōsai Ikkei

昇斎一景

Shinohara Kiyooki, Japanese print artist

Shinohara Kiyooki

篠原清興

Toyohara Chikayoshi, Japanese print artist

Toyohara Chikayoshi

豊原周美

Shibata Zeshin, Japanese print artist

Shibata Zeshin

柴田是真

1807–1891

Mori Kansai, Japanese print artist

Mori Kansai

森寛斎

1814–1894

Utagawa Yoshimune, Japanese print artist

Utagawa Yoshimune

歌川芳宗

1817–1880

Utagawa Yoshiharu, Japanese print artist

Utagawa Yoshiharu

歌川芳春

1828–1888

Kanō Hōgai, Japanese print artist

Kanō Hōgai

狩野芳崖

1828–1888

Taki Katei, Japanese print artist

Taki Katei

滝和亭

1830–1901

Utagawa Kuniteru II, Japanese print artist

Utagawa Kuniteru II

二代歌川国輝

1830–1874

Kawanabe Kyosai, Japanese print artist

Kawanabe Kyosai

河鍋暁斎

1831–1889

Ochiai Yoshiiku, Japanese print artist

Ochiai Yoshiiku

落合芳幾

1833–1904

Toyohara Kunichika, Japanese print artist

Toyohara Kunichika

豊原国周

1835–1900

Utagawa Kuniaki II, Japanese print artist

Utagawa Kuniaki II

二代歌川国明

1835–1888

Toyohara Chikanobu, Japanese print artist

Toyohara Chikanobu

豊原周延

1838–1912

Numata Kashū, Japanese print artist

Numata Kashū

沼田荷舟

1838–1901

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, Japanese print artist

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

月岡芳年

1839–1892

Matsumoto Fūko, Japanese print artist

Matsumoto Fūko

松本楓湖

1840–1923

Utagawa Hiroshige III, Japanese print artist

Utagawa Hiroshige III

三代目歌川広重

1842–1894

Torii Kiyosada, Japanese print artist

Torii Kiyosada

鳥居清貞

1844–1901

Kobayashi Kiyochika, Japanese print artist

Kobayashi Kiyochika

小林清親

1847–1915

Noguchi Shōhin, Japanese print artist

Noguchi Shōhin

野口小蘋

1847–1917

Utagawa Kunitoshi, Japanese print artist

Utagawa Kunitoshi

歌川国利

1847–1899

Utagawa Kunisada III, Japanese print artist

Utagawa Kunisada III

三代目歌川国貞

1848–1920

Hasegawa Sadanobu II, Japanese print artist

Hasegawa Sadanobu II

二代目長谷川貞信

1848–1940

Andō Hiroshige IV, Japanese print artist

Andō Hiroshige IV

安藤広重四代

1849–1925

Suzuki Shōnen, Japanese print artist

Suzuki Shōnen

鈴木松年

1849–1918

Takashima Hokkai, Japanese print artist

Takashima Hokkai

高島北海

1850–1931

Watanabe Seitei, Japanese print artist

Watanabe Seitei

渡辺省亭

1851–1918

Asai Chu, Japanese print artist

Asai Chu

浅井忠

1856–1907

Mishima Shōsō, Japanese print artist

Mishima Shōsō

三島蕉窓

1856–1928

Yamazaki Toshinobu, Japanese print artist

Yamazaki Toshinobu

山崎年信

1857–1886

Shibata Shinsai, Japanese print artist

Shibata Shinsai

柴田真斎

1858–1895

Ogata Gekko, Japanese print artist

Ogata Gekko

尾形月耕

1859–1920

Utagawa Toyonobu, Japanese print artist

Utagawa Toyonobu

歌川豊宣

1859–1886

Kikuchi Hōbun, Japanese print artist

Kikuchi Hōbun

菊池芳文

1862–1918

Migita Toshihide, Japanese print artist

Migita Toshihide

右田年英

1863–1925

Tsutsui Toshimine, Japanese print artist

Tsutsui Toshimine

筒井年峰

1863–1934

Inoue Yasuji, Japanese print artist

Inoue Yasuji

井上安治

1864–1889

Tomioka Eisen, Japanese print artist

Tomioka Eisen

富岡永洗

1864–1905

Kobori Tomone, Japanese print artist

Kobori Tomone

小堀鞆音

1864–1931

Taguchi Beisaku, Japanese print artist

Taguchi Beisaku

田口米作

1864–1903

Mizuno Toshikata, Japanese print artist

Mizuno Toshikata

水野年方

1866–1908

Kamisaka Sekka, Japanese print artist

Kamisaka Sekka

神坂雪佳

1866–1942

Ogawa Usen, Japanese print artist

Ogawa Usen

小川芋銭

1868–1938

Yamada Keichū, Japanese print artist

Yamada Keichū

山田敬中

1868–1934

Tsukioka Kōgyo, Japanese print artist

Tsukioka Kōgyo

月岡耕漁

1869–1927

Okakura Shūsui, Japanese print artist

Okakura Shūsui

岡倉秋水

1869–1950

Kajita Hanko, Japanese print artist

Kajita Hanko

梶田半古

1870–1917

Yamamoto Shunkyo, Japanese print artist

Yamamoto Shunkyo

山元春挙

1871–1933

Kawai Gyokudō, Japanese print artist

Kawai Gyokudō

川合玉堂

1873–1957

Watanabe Nobukazu, Japanese print artist

Watanabe Nobukazu

渡辺延一

1874–1944

Komuro Suiun, Japanese print artist

Komuro Suiun

小室翠雲

1874–1945

Hishida Shunsō, Japanese print artist

Hishida Shunsō

菱田春草

1874–1911

Uemura Shoen, Japanese print artist

Uemura Shoen

上村松園

1875–1949

Furuya Kōrin, Japanese print artist

Furuya Kōrin

古谷紅麟

1875–1910

Kawakita Kahō, Japanese print artist

Kawakita Kahō

川北霞峰

1875–1940

Hisui Sugiura, Japanese print artist

Hisui Sugiura

杉浦非水

1876–1965

Konoshima Ōkoku, Japanese print artist

Konoshima Ōkoku

木島桜谷

1877–1938

Nishimura Goun, Japanese print artist

Nishimura Goun

西村五雲

1877–1938

Akamatsu Rinsaku, Japanese print artist

Akamatsu Rinsaku

赤松麟作

1878–1953

Yamamoto Eishun, Japanese print artist

Yamamoto Eishun

山本英春

1879

Kobayashi Kokei, Japanese print artist

Kobayashi Kokei

小林古径

1883–1957

Hashimoto Kansetsu, Japanese print artist

Hashimoto Kansetsu

橋本関雪

1883–1945

Takehisa Yumeji, Japanese print artist

Takehisa Yumeji

竹久夢二

1884–1934

Murakami Kagaku, Japanese print artist

Murakami Kagaku

村上華岳

1888–1939

Shima Seien, Japanese print artist

Shima Seien

島成園

1892–1970

Notable Works

'Kagoshima Mōyū Soroi' by Adachi Ginkō

'Kagoshima Mōyū Soroi'

1877

Print

'The fox woman of Suwa in Shinano' by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

'The fox woman of Suwa in Shinano'

19th century

Print

(long undergarment) by Takehisa Yumeji

(long undergarment)

Woodblock print

- by Kobayashi Kiyochika

-

Woodblock print

- by Kobayashi Kiyochika

-

Woodblock print

- by Kobayashi Kiyochika

-

Woodblock print

- by Kobayashi Kiyochika

-

Woodblock print

- by Kobayashi Kiyochika

-

Woodblock print

Frequently Asked Questions

Meiji and Taishō era prints (1868–1926) bridge the transition from traditional ukiyo-e to the modern shin-hanga and sosaku-hanga movements. During this period, Japan underwent rapid modernization and Westernization, profoundly affecting the visual arts. Artists working in this transitional era experimented with Western techniques such as perspective, shading, and oil painting while often maintaining connections to traditional woodblock printmaking. Key figures include Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, who brought ukiyo-e to its dramatic culmination; Kobayashi Kiyochika, who pioneered light-and-shadow effects in prints; and Uemura Shoen, whose refined bijin-ga paintings influenced generations of later printmakers. The era also saw the emergence of the sōsaku-hanga ideal through Kanae Yamamoto''s 1904 "Fisherman," widely considered the first modern creative print.

The Meiji/Taishō Prints movement was active from approximately 1868 to 1926.

Notable Meiji/Taishō Prints artists include Suga Tatehiko, Ozawa Nankoku, Adachi Ginkō, Utagawa Fusatane, Utagawa Yoshikatsu, and 69 more.

Meiji and Taishō era prints (1868–1926) bridge the transition from traditional ukiyo-e to the modern shin-hanga and sosaku-hanga movements. During this period, Japan underwent rapid modernization and Westernization, profoundly affecting the visual arts. Artists working in this transitional era experimented with Western techniques such as perspective, shading, and oil painting while often maintaining connections to traditional woodblock printmaking. Key figures include Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, who brought ukiyo-e to its dramatic culmination; Kobayashi Kiyochika, who pioneered light-and-shadow effects in prints; and Uemura Shoen, whose refined bijin-ga paintings influenced generations of later printmakers. The era also saw the emergence of the sōsaku-hanga ideal through Kanae Yamamoto''s 1904 "Fisherman," widely considered the first modern creative print.

Related Movements

Traditional Mokuhanga(c. 1600–present)Sōsaku-hanga(c. 1905–1980)Shin-hanga(c. 1915–1960)Contemporary Mokuhanga(c. 1970–present)Experimental Print(c. 1980–present)Ukiyo-e

Want to rate Meiji/Taishō Prints prints?

Sign up to start rating