Printed, Pasted, Traded: Nōsatsu as an Invented Tradition
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Date
2020-12-08
Authors
McDowell, Kumiko
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Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
This paper examines the prosperity of nōsatsu culture between the 1900s to 1920s. Nōsatsu are paper placards created through wood block printing techniques used for pasting or exchanging, which date back to the 18th century. Very little significant research has been done on the reasons for the popularity of nōsatsu practices as they moved from a small group of enthusiasts in the late Edo period to become a cultural fad that resonated in modern Japanese society in the Meiji and Taishō periods. In this thesis I argue that nōsatsu culture developed in the early 20th century along with Edo shumi as a social trend invented through social protest against the government and spurred on by commercialization and the modern mass media. I explore the background of the flourishing of nōsatsu culture in the 1920s employing visual analysis of nōsatsu slips along with theories on media and social networking.
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Keywords
Edo shumi, Frederick Starr, Medium, Nosatsu, Senjafuda