As A Kid,

I sometimes tried making hand shadows,

basically using your hands and fingers I was able to make a passable duck or dog that by moving my fingers appeared to open its beak/mouth, but I had never seen a guide of how to achieve the effect, until now,

here is a short guide to shadow puppetry with a little help from Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858), 

the ukiyo-e artist, who is best known for his poetic woodblock prints of the Tōkaidō and views of Edo, also created an instructive series of omocha-e, or toy pictures intended for kids, that demonstrates how to twist your hands into a snail or rabbit or grasp a mat to mimic a bird perched on a branch,

for myself I used a bedroom wall, but Utagawa Hiroshige uses a translucent shoji screen, the clever figures range in difficulty from simple animals to sparring warriors and are complete with prop suggestions and written instructions for making the creatures move, above are some prints of the eight-figure chart shown, which Hiroshige released in 1842, are available from Flashbak, and you can explore a massive archive containing thousands of his works on The Minneapolis Institute of Art’s site, it does seem strange that back in the 1950s kids comics did not print a guide to shadow puppetry, but there it is, here is one now.

I Do Like Traditional Japanese Prints,

and here is a new reprint of them,

all images © Utagawa Hiroshige, courtesy of Taschen, the genre of Japanese art called ukiyo-e—translating to “pictures of the floating world”—centred on colourful depictions of landscapes, performers and sumo wrestlers, and scenes from folklore and history in vivid woodblock prints, Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858),

as it happens we have featured his work on our blog many times before,

his final project, an ambitious collection of 120 woodblock illustrations, became known as One Hundred Famous Views of Edo and depicts what is now Tokyo throughout the seasons,

and now a new reprint from Taschen pairs each of the artist’s remarkable prints with text by authors Lorenz Bichler and Melanie Trede, celebrating the scenery, the city’s history, and Hiroshige’s contribution to ukiyo-e,

the text chronicles the influence of Japonisme on European decorative arts and painters like Vincent van Gogh, Edgar Degas, and James McNeill Whistler,

the new edition is presented in a case and bound in a traditional Japanese style known as stab binding in which a series of holes are punched in the cover and the spine is elegantly bound with string,

scheduled for release next month, you can pre-order One Hundred Famous Views of Edo: The Complete Plates on Taschen’s website, and at £60.00 not exactly expensive for a work like this.

I Do Not Know Why,

but there is something about vintage Japanese art,

 that I fine so attractive, these are all from Japanese artist Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858), considered by many to be the last great master of the ukiyo-e genre (“pictures of the floating world”), Hiroshige was born in 1797 to a samurai family in Edo (modern Tokyo), after his parents died, around the age of fourteen, Hiroshige began to take up painting and studied for several years under the artist Toyohiro. During this period he produced many works reflecting traditional ukiyo-e themes such as women and actors, but upon Toyohiro’s death in 1928 he underwent a pronounced shift toward the landscapes for which he is best known today, as well as bird and flower images, in 1856, around the age of 60, Hiroshige “retired from the world”, becoming a Buddhist monk, two years later he passed away (during the great Edo cholera epidemic, though it’s not known if this was the cause of death) and was buried in a Zen temple in Asakusa, he was a prolific artist producing works in the tens of thousands in his lifetime, all of the ones in this post are from the collection housed at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, above, Mount Utsu, Okabe, 1832

 The Plum Garden at Kameido Shrine, 1857

 Jumansubo Plain in Susaki near Fukagawa, 1857

 Maiko Beach in Harima Province, 1853

 Blooming Irises in Horikiri, 1857

 Ukifune, ca. 1845

 Seascape in Satta in the Suruga Province, 1858

“Fox Fires” on New Year’s Eve at the Shozoku Nettle Tree in Oji, 1857, as I mentioned before, there is something I like about Japanese art of this period, for me they are all stunning.

It Has Not Happened In 54 Years,

snow falling in Tokyo,

 but it did yesterday, the last time the first snowfall, called hatsuyuki (初雪) occurred in November was in 1962, but it was so light it did not settle, going back to when records first began in 1875 yesterday was truly a first, remembering that yesterday we posted a piece about the Edo-period in Japan (1603-1868), here are a few wood prints from that period showing how the population took to snow,

 print by Hiroshige Utagawa,

 court ladies showing a giant snow cat to a young prince Genji after the first snow (print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi),

someone forgot to put salt on the streets as in this comedic scene a man’s geta flying off his foot and hitting someone in the face,

 snow ball fights and kids rolling snow balls, (print by Sadashige),

this is one of the more iconic views of snowy Edo and part of the series “One Hundred Famous Views of Edo” (print by Utagawa Hiroshige), I wonder how long it will be before it snows again in Japan?

If You Live In Or Near Washington D. C.

and like Japanese art,

 this is the exhibition for you, unfortunately already closed, I only heard about it today, many of the nearly 180 of the works traveling from Japan are also masterpieces, which rarely, if ever, leave the country, above Utagawa Hiroshige, “New Year’s Eve Foxfires at the Changing Tree, ji,” from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Edo period, 1857) (all images courtesy the National Gallery of Art, Washington),

 with more than 300 works drawn from 66 Japanese institutions and 30 American collections, the National Gallery of Art held the exhibition, above Utagawa Yoshitsuya, “Earth Spider” (Edo period, c. 1847-1852),

 Yogetsu, “Gibbon Reaching for the Reflection of the Moon” (Muromachi period, early 16th century),

 Utagawa Yoshitora, “Picture of the Twelve Animals to Protect the Safety of the Home” (Edo period, 1858),

 Utagawa Kuniyoshi, “Bravery Matched with the Twelve Zodiac Signs: Tiger and Kashiwade no Omi Hatebe” (Edo period, c. 1840),

 unknown Artist, “Deer Bearing Symbols of the Kasuga Deities” (Nanbokuch period, 14th century),

attributed to Kanō Naizen, “Southern Barbarians Come to Trade” (Momoyama period, c. 1600),

unknown Artist, “Uchikake with Shell-Matching Game” (Edo period, mid-19th century), The Life of Animals in Japanese Art received a makeover halfway through its run switching out 47 works for 40 new pieces, (“Out with the horses, in with the tigers,” announced the Washington Post.), the exhibition, which closed on August 18, was one of the largest shows ever displayed at the museum, and includes sculptures, paintings, lacquerworks, ceramics, metalworks, textiles, and the woodblock prints. The collection is a magnificent, vibrant illustration of Japanese culture spanning 17 centuries of history, The Life of Animals in Japanese Art is being held at the National Gallery of Art (Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20565). The exhibition is curated by Robert T. Singer, curator and department head, Japanese art, LACMA, and Masatomo Kawai, director, Chiba City Museum of Art, in consultation with a team of Japanese art historians, a true once in a lifetime exhibition, if you like Japanese art it is still possible to see the exhibits on the museums web site, I am just sorry I did not find out about it until now.

If You Like,

the genre of art known as Ukiyo-e,

of which this, woodblock print, 'Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji: The Great Wave off the Coast of Kanagawa', Katsushika Hokusai, about 1831. Museum no. E.4823-191, © Victoria and Albert Museum, London, is perhaps the best known example, this post might interest you, 

Utagawa Hiroshige was known for his landscapes; the most famous being The Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido, above, 15th station : Kanbara (A village in the snow), which was the result of a procession between Edo and Kyoto, Ukiyo-e is a genre of Japanese art which flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. Its artists produced woodblock prints and paintings, now, an online Open StreetMap called Ukiyo-e Map has plotted over 200 of Hiroshige’s prints on a map of Japan so you can pin down the exact location they depicted several hundred years ago, 

and here they are, 

  Zozoji Temple in Tokyo, clicking the dot reveals the Ukiyo-e

 The Tamagawa Aqueduct, which ran along Koshu Kaido road., the aqueduct no longer exists but the road still does,

Inokashira Park and Lake in the western suburbs of Tokyo, which still exists

 35th station : Goyu

40th station : Narumi, many thanks to John Resig of Ukiyo-e.org for spotting this map, as an aside, although much has changed, some roads, temples and lakes still exist to this day, what a great way to spend a few days walking the route.

Japan Has What I Consider To Be,

one of the safest, finest railway systems in the world,

almost exactly 150 years ago the first railway route in Japan opened on October 14, 1872 and connected what is current-day Shinbashi to Yokohama above “Steam Locomotive on the Yokohama Waterfront” (1874) by Utagawa Hiroshige III. Courtesy Kobe City Museum, to celebrate this milestone the Tokyo Station Gallery embarked on an ambitious journey themselves: a collection of roughly 150 items from all over Japan capturing the history of the rail, some of the illustrations are above and below, 

 

“A Steam Locomotive Bound for Heaven, from Journeys through Heaven and Hell” (1872) by Kawanabe Kyosai. Courtesy Seikado Bunko Art Museum, this was from the pre-rail era, where artists were simply imagining what trains might look like,

“Night Train” (1901) by Akamatsu Rinsaku. Courtesy Tokyo University of the Arts,

“Suruga Bay” (early 1900s) by Goseda Yoshimatsu. Courtesy Kasama Nichido Museum of Art,

“View of Takanawa Ushimachi beneath a Shrouded Moon” (1879) by Kobayashi Kiyochika. Courtesy Machida City Museum of Graphic Arts,

“Shinjuku Station” (1935) by Kimura Shohachi. Private collection,

and this has got to be great fun for the family, a train running through a bathhouse, “Paradise Scene No. 8: Shinsekai Park Onsen, A New Way of Bathing” (2007) by Paramodel. ©paramodel/photo:yasuhiko hayashi, “Art and Railway –150th Anniversary of Railway in Japan” is on display now through January 9, 2023 at the Tokyo Station Gallery. General admission is 1400 yen, at today's rate £8.72 or $9.61, Japan and railways, I can not think of a better combination, would I like to go? yes please!

If You Like Japanese Prints,

looking at nature and the supernatural,

this is the exhibition for you, above Utagawa Hiroshige, “Cherry Blossom Viewing at Mount Goten” (c.1832–1855), the new exhibition is at Japan House, Los Angeles, titled, “Nature/Supernature – Visions of this World and Beyond in Japanese Woodblock Prints.”

Inume Pass, Kōshū from the series Thirty-Six Views of Mt. Fuji series by Katsushika Hokusai, c. 1829, from the blurb,

An appreciation of the natural landscape features prominently in the woodblock prints of the Edo (1603-1868) and Meiji (1868-1912) periods, this artistic genre was patronized by ordinary people and depicted beloved characters and places in popular culture, theatre and literature. By the 19th century, many prints featured views of people interacting with the natural landscape, such as picnics under cherry blossoms or moon-viewing gatherings. Views of regional beauty spots and famous temples and shrines encouraged people to travel – or at least to dream of travel. Artists also turned their attention to images of spiritual beings and supernatural creatures from mythology, folklore and legend. These include benign deities, mischievous nature spirits, shape-shifting animals, ghosts and demons.

above, Famous Sights of Nikkō: Hannya and Hōtō Waterfalls by Yōshū Chikanobu, 1891, but the exhibition is not just about the final product, if you visit the link there is a full run down on the wood blocks,

 and how they were made, with a view of the printing process, grab a coffee, the video above I found so fascinating.