Japanese Woodblock Prints: From Hiroshige to Hokusai

An article highlights ten iconic Japanese woodblock prints, spanning the 19th and early 20th centuries. Utagawa Hiroshige's 'The Plum Garden in Kameido' (1857) was later copied by Vincent van Gogh. Utagawa Kunisada's 'Yosooi of the Matsubaya House' (ca. 1831) exemplifies opulent fashion; Kunisada was once more famous than Hokusai but fell out of favor with European collectors until the 1990s. Kitagawa Utamaro's 'Three Beauties of the Present Day' (ca. 1792–1793) introduced close-up bijin ōkubi-e, influencing Impressionists. Katsushika Hokusai's 'Kinoe no Komatsu' (1814) is a shunga book with a narrative. Tsuchiya Koitsu's 'Snow at Miyajima' (1937) depicts a serene snowy landscape. Tsukioka Yoshitoshi's 'Naosuke Gombei Ripping off a Face' (1867) belongs to the muzan-e 'bloody prints' genre. Utagawa Kuniyoshi's 'Takiyasha the Witch and the Skeleton Spectre' (ca. 1844) illustrates a historical myth. Kunisada's 'Woman in Winter Garden' (1830–1840) showcases a detailed winter kimono. Hiroshige's 'New Year's Eve Foxfires at the Changing Tree, Ōji' (ca. 1857) depicts a foxfire ritual. Hokusai's 'Under the Wave off Kanagawa' (ca. 1830–1832) remains the most iconic print. These works are held by institutions including the Rijksmuseum, Victoria & Albert Museum, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, and Metropolitan Museum of Art.