A World in Print; Foreigners in Japan's Early Modern Bankoku Jinbutsu-Zu
Loading...
Date
2016-10-27
Authors
Parman, Alison
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
Japanese woodblock prints featuring foreigners that appeared after the opening of ports such as Yokohama to international trade in the mid-nineteenth century are broadly referred to as Yokohama-e (or “Yokohama Pictures”). While there are already seminal studies that document the representation of Western peoples in Yokohama-e, those of Asian peoples have not yet received equal attention. This thesis focuses on a group of prints that include the word “all nations” (bankoku) in their titles, particularly those of Utagawa Yoshiiku. Although these prints are currently considered a type of Yokohama-e, they are distinctively different from typical Yokohama-e in their scope, particularly in its inclusion of many Asian and mythical peoples. This study investigates how this group of “pictures of the peoples of all nations” (bankoku jinbutsu-zu) functioned as popular guides to the nations of the world and reflected the domestic new awareness for Japan’s role within it.
Description
Keywords
Bankoku, Bankoku jinbutsu-zu, Japanese woodblock prints, Utagawa Yoshiiku, Yokohama-e