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Japanese Woodblock Prints

 Collection
Identifier: MS 00293

  • Staff Only
  • No requestable containers

Scope and Contents

Framed prints, portfolio collection, and loose woodblock prints featuring various Japanese artists from the 19th Century. Notably, Hiroshige I. (1797-1858), Kunimaru (1794-1829), and Yoshitishi (1839-1892).

A Listing of the collection is as follows: Ukiyo-e The Floating World containing ten woodblock prints. Six loose woodblock prints of Watanabe. Ukiyo-e triptych Woodblock print depicting a master and servant praying to the moon. Utagawa Kunimaru, a woodblock print Ukiyo-e depicting actor Iwai Kumesaburo in a female role during the late Edo Period (1789-1868) Ando Hiroshige, also known as Utagawa Hiroshige, Ichiyusai Hiroshige and Hiroshige I, woodblock print titled “Fujisawa; Yugyogi” depicting a torii and bridge. Ando Hiroshige oban ukiyo-e woodblock print titled “Numazu (Twilight), 1833-1834, from the 53 Stations of the Tokaido Road. Toto Yukimi Hakkei (Eight Snow Scenes in the Eastern Capital) Eight woodblock prints. More detailed information of the woodblock prints can be found by clicking on the items listed in this collection guide.

Dates

  • Creation: circa 1900

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open to all researchers. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.

Conditions Governing Use

Before publishing quotations or excerpts from any materials, permission must be obtained from the Curator of Manuscripts and Rare Books, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.

Biographical / Historical

Utagawa Hiroshige, also known as Andō Hiroshige,Utagawa Hiroshige, Ichiyūsai Hiroshige, and Andō Tokutarō was a Japanese artist born in 1798 in modern day Tokyo and is best known for his woodblock carvings and prints in the traditional ukiyo-e style of artisty stemming from the Utagawa school of training. His rise to fame as an artist was a slow process and he gradually honed his own unique skills in landscpae and flora and fauna prints. In 1832 he made a trip between Edo and Kyōto along the famed highway called the Tōkaidō; he stayed at the 53 overnight stations along the road and made numerous sketches of everything he saw. He published a series of 55 landscape prints titled Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō—one for each station, as well as the beginning of the highway and the arrival in Kyōto. The success of this series was immediate and made Hiroshige one of the most popular ukiyo-e artists of all time. He died in 1858 having produced over 8,000 works. Works consulted for this summary: www.publicdomainreview.org, metmuseum.org, www.britannica.com

Extent

4.0 Linear Feet

Language

English

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of John Alden and Caroline Williams, 2019.

Title
Guide to the Japanese Woodblock Prints
Author
Christina R. Luers, CA
Date
2019-05-08
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Research Center Repository

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