Latest news with #UtagawaHiroshige
Yomiuri Shimbun
15-06-2025
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Nagoya's Arimatsu's Traditional Craft Is to Dye For; Artisans Continue Craft That Started in Edo Period
NAGOYA — Wooden-framed buildings with a wide street frontage and storehouses with a lattice-patterned plaster walls still line this section of the historic Tokaido road in Arimatsu in Midori Ward, Nagoya. The Arimatsu Shibori Festival adds a burst of color to these old streetscapes in early summers, as women wearing yukata summer kimono featuring tie-dye patterns that resemble morning glory flowers and wisteria flock to the event. Shibori tie-dyeing in Arimatsu dates to early in the Edo period (1603-1867), when the craft was devised as an industry in a village poor for growing crops. Tie-dyed cotton hand towels became popular as souvenirs among travelers, and dyed fabrics even were depicted in the ukiyo-e series 'The Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido Road' by master artist Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858). Tie-dyed items also were sold at the nearby Narumi station, and what became known as Arimatsu-Narumi tie-dyeing has been designated as a national traditional craft. In tie-dyeing, the parts of the fabric tied with thread are not colored. This technique, which is repeated to produce patterns, is especially famous for shapes that mimic a spider web or a deer's dappled coat. The Yomiuri Shimbun Suzuyo Miura holds bags. An artisan who has mastered steps of this process is passing the baton to a new generation. After coming up with design ideas, they place a paper template on the fabric, and draw an image. Parts of the fabric are tightly tied with thread and then dyed. The thread is removed, and the fabric is finished with a bumpy, uneven texture. At the Hayatsune Senshoku dyeing workshop, the process for colors such as indigo blue, pink and yellow is well underway before the yukata season arrives. Dyeing is typically done by dipping fabric into a liquid dye inside a pot. However, traditional craftsperson Suzuyo Miura has perfected a technique called 'nagashizome.' Miura, 77, spreads the fabric over a long, narrow bench and then uses a small watering can to apply dye to the material. The colors, such as pink flowers and green leaves, can be changed even on a single yukata. 'Color is everything for a dye house,' Miura said. How does she recreate a color requested by a customer? After all, there could be infinite varieties of pink depending on how the colors that go into it are mixed. Furthermore, different shades could appear if Miura does not move the watering can at a constant speed. The fabric becomes heavier when it has been dyed, so carrying it can be physically demanding. Amid this work, lively conversation that is audible over the sounds of a dryer rings through the workshop. Maki Takaesu, 54; Yayoi Uchida, 52; and Kaori Masuda, 48, chat happily as they deftly work in perfect harmony. They appear just like three sisters. Yomiuri Shimbun photos Left: A small watering can is used to apply dye to the material. Right: Artisans use the nagashizome technique to dye fabric. Miura's husband had been the family's breadwinner, but after he died, she approached Takaesu, who was attending a dyeing class as a hobby. Curious about her proposal, Takaesu immediately agreed to become Miura's 'protege.' About 12 years have passed since then. About 35 companies were members of the Commerce and Industry Cooperative of Arimatsu Tie-Dyeing in the 1970s, but this number has dwindled to just 16. A shortage of successors has become a prominent problem in this industry, but Miura is harnessing new sources of energy to keep her business afloat. The three women are willing to try new methods to efficiently dye high-quality items. 'That's because [Miura] respects our ways of doing things,' Uchida explained. 'We can make good items precisely because we get along so well,' Miura replied with a smile.
The Mainichi
14-06-2025
- The Mainichi
Japan Photo Journal: 6,000 iris plants in full bloom at historic Tokyo garden
Iris flowers are seen at Horikiri Shobuen Iris Garden in Tokyo's Katsushika Ward, June 13, 2025. Some 6,000 Japanese iris plants in around 200 varieties are in full bloom, delighting visitors with their vibrant white and purple hues. The peak viewing period is expected to continue until around June 20. Horikiri has long been known as a famous spot in Tokyo for its irises and is said to have been the subject of "nishiki-e" woodblock prints by artists including Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858). (Japanese original by Mimi Niimiya, Tokyo Photo and Video Department)
Chicago Tribune
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Hokusai & Ukiyo-e exhibit featuring Shogun-era art makes its U.S. debut at College of DuPage
The College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn is celebrating Japan's iconic Shogun era with a never-seen-in-the-U.S. art exhibit. 'Hokusai & Ukiyo-e: The Floating World, Artworks from the Chiossone Collection,' a 70-piece collection, will be on display through Sept. 21 at the college's Cleve Carney Museum of Art and McAninch Arts Center. The heart of the exhibition are pieces on loan from the Edoardo Chiossone Museum of Oriental Art in Genoa, Italy, including 53 paintings and woodblock prints by the masters of ukiyo-e, a major artistic genre that flourished during Japan's Edo period (1603–1868). Among the highlights are Katsushika Hokusai's iconic masterpiece, 'Under the Wave off Kanagawa,' and eight more of his original works. There also are 15 works by Utagawa Hiroshige, particularly known for the 'One Hundred Famous Views of Edo' series, along with works by 15 done by their contemporaries and 17 handcrafted artifacts. The exhibition is an immersive cultural dive into Japan's Shogun era, said Diana Martinez, executive director of the McAninch Arts Center. It includes centuries-old artworks, anime, digital art, children's activities and other interactive features, she said. 'That Edo period was a time of the Samuri and the geisha and the kabuki actors,' she said. 'It was a very animated time in Japan. These ukiyo-e artists were literally painting and drawing and woodblock-cutting the most popular characters of that culture — the sumo wrestlers, the kabuki actors, the geisha — and they learned how to make prints and were mass-producing these popular images of this time in their history. 'It's like the pop-art of Edo Japan. It's a very interesting show. It's never been seen before, this collection, here in the United States. I think this is going to be really spectacular,' she said. 'The collection shows a really broad array of what the masters did during this period.' The collection is coming from a museum in Italy because Edoardo Chisossone was an accomplished engraver who moved to Japan in the 1700s when he was hired to update the engraving techniques of the country's bank notes, said Justin Witte, curator of the Cleve Carney Museum of Art. While there, Chisossone discovered a wealth of artwork and culture unseen by the rest of the world, he said. 'It is really fantastic that with all the fun things happening with the exhibit, all the information and historical aspects, that at its center in the museum galleries is this amazing collection that visitors will be able to encounter,' he said. 'They see a lot of history … really unfold in those objects and artworks.' The exhibition also has a Japanese streetscape scene set during the Samuri time with recreations of Hokusai's home, a woodblock print shop, tea shop and market, Martinez said. The Great Wave Garden is a curated outdoor space with live plants, including bonsai trees, and a Japanese bridge. 'We have a kid's area that's really beautiful. The windows look like you're looking over Mount Fuji out the window,' Martinez said. 'It will have original anime in there.' Guests can explore the evolution of manga, or Japanese comics, through a fully designed environment, she said. 'Everything is painted white and outlined in black so it looks like you're walking into a comic strip,' Martinez said. 'A lot of people don't know that Hokusai was the grandfather of manga … he did 10 different best-selling editions of these sketchbooks. It was called Hokusai's manga. His intention at that time was to teach people to sketch. 'Graphic novels were the rage in Japan in the Edo period. He was teaching people how to draw different characters, animals, nature in these 10 volumes of sketchbooks. So you see the beginning of anime in Hokusai's time through now in six different rooms that feel like you're walking through a graphic novel.' There will be a dedicated selfie area complete with mannequins wearing recreations of Samuri, Shogun and geisha costumes from Warner Brothers Studios, she said. Even the café will sell themed food and drink. 'The photo ops are really phenomenal for this one,' Martinez said. And guests of all ages will enjoy the experience, Witte said. 'I think it's a balance to meet audiences at different levels and I think we definitely value the proper presentation of the actual works and hold that history, but we recognize that … we also have to provide things that will engage our audiences in different ways and engage a wide range of audiences,' he said. 'From our younger visitors to people who are interested in a more traditional museum approach.' In a partnership titled 'Waves of DuPage: Beautiful Cities,' Naperville artist Rich Lo will create ukiyo-e style images of locations and buildings in DuPage County that will later be transformed into large-scale murals and installed in the community it represents. The murals will be unveiled in towns throughout the summer, she said. That's not the only way the county is getting into it. There are more than 95 related events happening this summer, she said. 'It's so heartwarming that everybody is jumping on board and coming up with their own ideas,' she said. To complement the exhibition, The Mac will host lectures, films and classes on Japanese calligraphy and woodblock print-making, she said. There also will be a free 'Hokusai Japan Fest' from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, June 21, at the Mac's Lakeside Pavilion. The day will include a drumming performance by Tsukasa Taiko, Odori Japanese folk dance, musical performances with Japanese instruments, martial arts demonstrations, a Japanese calligraphy demonstration, origami lessons, food vendors and more. The exhibit is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays; 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Thursdays; 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays; and 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays through Sept. 21. Tickets range in price from $12 to $32. The last ticket will be sold 45 minutes before closing. For more information, go to
Telegraph
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Hiroshige: Serene visions that completely banish the turmoil of the world
A gentle sense of poetry suffuses this new exhibition at the British Museum, the first in this country for more than a quarter of a century to celebrate so extensively the prolific Japanese artist Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858). Awash with enchanting images of Japan's awe-inspiring scenery (including Mount Fuji's attractive snow-clad cone), it made me forget, for a wonderful hour or two, about all the turmoil besetting the world. I left determined never to doom-scroll again, and appreciative of simple natural phenomena, such as the soft quality of a moonbeam, or blossom whisked along by the breeze. Born into a low-ranking samurai family in Edo (present-day Tokyo), then the largest city in the world, Hiroshige became renowned for his lyrical and atmospheric colour-woodblock prints. To begin with, like other commercial artists of the so-called 'floating world' (defined, in the catalogue, as the pleasure-seeking 'domain of popular culture, fashion and entertainment'), he devised pictures of 'bijin' (beautiful women) and kabuki actors, before turning, in the early 1830s, to the minor genre of landscape prints, which he helped to reinvigorate. He made his name with a series of prints of the Tokaido, Japan's 310-mile-long eastern coastal highway (connecting Edo with the imperial capital of Kyoto), and travel became a principal theme – although he also produced spellbinding prints of birds and flowers. Set within a circular gallery above the Reading Room, and immaculately designed to evoke traditional Japanese craftsmanship, the exhibition presents almost 120 prints (and several paintings) by Hiroshige, representing the scope of his career. Throughout, it emphasises printmaking's collaborative nature: Hiroshige worked closely with publishers, who commissioned and financed individual series, as well as highly skilled craftsmen. The latter included cutters who, after pasting his original outline drawings onto liquorice-like blocks of polished mountain cherry wood, carefully chiselled away while retaining a sense of the spontaneity and rhythm of his brush. Master-printers specialised in 'bokashi', or subtle tonal gradation, a hallmark of Hiroshige's work. Nevertheless, the uniqueness, and strength, of his artistic vision is everywhere apparent. Although there are examples of turmoil in his oeuvre (a view of the Naruto whirlpools is a memorable example), in general, Hiroshige's landscapes are characterised by a sense of serenity and cosmic order, sometimes offset by a humorous flourish kindly poking fun at human folly. Given the seeming anonymity of his style, his pictures appear to provide documentary records of a bygone way of life, as, say, workers wearing straw raincoats scurry for shelter during showers. Hiroshige was brilliant at depicting downpours and their effects. Yet, he often took bold, imaginative artistic decisions to enliven his compositions, such as adopting a street-level perspective to immerse the viewer in the action, or contrasting something surprisingly large in the foreground – an eagle, say, or a fluttering, carp-shaped banner – with a far-off subject. He also experimented successfully with depicting different sources of light (a bonfire, a lantern, the moon); ingeniously, in some nocturnes, bare patches of paper represent lamplight or enticing illumination within an inn. Above all, though, as suggested here by a calming soundtrack of streams and waterfalls, birds and crickets, it is his sensitivity to ephemeral natural beauty – blossoming plum trees, swooping kingfishers – that hits home.
