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Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Morozumi Masakiyo Kills Himself in Battle, c. 1848. Color woodblock print, 14 3/8 x 10 1/8 in. American Friends of The British Museum (The Arthur R. Miller Collection) 15009. Photo © Trustees of The British Museum.
Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Sakata Kaidōmaru Wrestles with a Giant Carp, c. 1837. Color woodblock print, 15 x 10 1/4 in. American Friends of The British Museum (The Arthur R. Miller Collection) 21215. Photo © Trustees of The British Museum.
Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Octopus Games, 1840-42. Color woodblock print, 14 1/2 x 9 5/8 in.
American Friends of The British Museum (The Arthur R. Miller Collection) 21402. Photo © Trustees of The British Museum.
Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Monk Nichiren in the Snow at Tsukahara, c. 1835. Color woodblock print, 9 7/8 x 14 5/8 in. American Friends of The British Museum (The Arthur R. Miller Collection) 12110. Photo © Trustees of The British Museum.
Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Tametomo Rescued from Suicide by Tengu, 1851. Color woodblock print, 14 3/8 x 29 5/8 in. The British Museum, JA 1906.12-20.01339. Photo © Trustees of The British Museum.
Graphic Heroes, Magic Monsters: Japanese Prints by Utagawa Kuniyoshi
March 12 - June 13, 2010
By JoAnn Greco
Curator Timothy Clark, head of the Japanese Section in the Department of Asia at the British Museum, calls them "explosive, shocking, funny, and provocative." Arthur Miller, collector extraordinaire, simply says they're an "obsession" borne out of his first introduction thirty years ago to a medium that's since taken hold of him. "They" are the bold, densely-packed woodblock prints of the 19th-century master, Utagawa Kuniyoshi.
Like other, more famous names — think Hiroshige and Hokusai — Kuniyoshi tackled familiar subjects of the 'floating world,' like landscape, kabuki, and beautiful women. He's unique, however, in his depicitions of muscular, tattooed combatants and glorious monsters derived from action tales and folklore. And those themes provide the backdrop for the conceit of this exhibit.
Strolling the galleries, the differences between these works and other classics is certainly apparent. The illustrations are surreal, story-laden, brilliantly-hued, and so crammed full of imagery that it's often initially hard to figure out what exactly is going on. They also are heavily dependent on meticulously-inked verses.
They don't look like typical woodblock prints, sure; but they don't really look like modern manga, either. At least not at first.
According to Clark, though, the fact that Kuniyoshi worked so fast and prolifically is one similarity, as is the artist's fondness for the triptych format and for creating series. The drama and violence inherent in much of the work also forges a connection to contemporary Japanese comics.
What remains most eye-opening, however, is simply the sheer power of the works. Miller says his dealers taught him to look for impressions made early on in a print's run. The saturated colors that leap from the walls of the darkened gallery rooms are striking evidence of the wisdom of that encouragement.
For more information please visit: The Japan Society
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