Self-Made Men Worthy of Emulation
Artist
Kuniaki, Kiyochida
(Japanese)
Artist
Tankei, Yoshitoshi
(Japanese)
Artist
Toshikata, Kunichika
(Japanese)
Date1885–1890
Mediumalbum; woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions35.6 x 23.7 cm (14 x 9 5/16 in.)
ClassificationsBooks
Credit LineHarriet B. Bancroft Fund
Object number1992.20
DescriptionSeveral artists, including Yoshitoshi, contributed images of Japanese historical figures to this album, which were bound together and issued in sets. Scroll-shaped cartouches provide historical details on these figures, considered inspirational models for moral behavior. The image on the right-hand side, by Yoshitoshi, shows the Minister of the State, Fujiwara no Arihira (891-970) with his assistant, making their way through a brutal rainstorm to the court of Emperor Murakami (926–967). Works like this one were almost certainly produced to appease a fractious government, which rewarded didactic displays of Japanese cultural identity. Upon completion in 1890, the publisher Matsuki Heikichi received special recognition from the government for having sponsored such “noble” subject matter.Label TextSeveral artists, including Yoshitoshi, contributed images of Japanese historical figures to this album, which were bound together and issued in sets. Scroll-shaped cartouches provide historical details on these figures, considered inspirational models for moral behavior. The image on the right-hand side, by Yoshitoshi, shows the Minister of the State, Fujiwara no Arihira (891-970) with his assistant, making their way through a brutal rainstorm to the court of Emperor Murakami (926–967). Works like this one were almost certainly produced to appease a fractious government, which rewarded didactic displays of Japanese cultural identity. Upon completion in 1890, the publisher Matsuki Heikichi received special recognition from the government for having sponsored such “noble” subject matter.ProvenanceBoston Book Company -- Book Annex, 705 Centre Street, Boston, MA 02130
On View
Not on view
Tsukioka Yoshitoshi 月岡 芳年
late autumn, 1882
