 |
 |
 |
Yokohama ijin yashiki no zu Title: Picture of a Foreign Residence in Yokohama Artist: Yoshikazu (fl. ca. 1850-70) 1861 Format: Woodblock print Medium: Ink and color on paper Dimensions: triptych: 36.4 x73.7 cm (14 5/16 x29 1/16 in.) Source: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution This charming print purports to portray the interior of a foreign yashiki, the Japanese term for the residence of a daimyō, the provincial lords of Japan. Implicit in the choice of terminology is the opulence which the Japanese with associated the large scale of Western rooms and such typical furnishings as chandeliers and carpeted floors. The artist has endeavored to make the print as informative as possible about activities and material details of a Western household. In the kitchen to the right, food is prepared on a wood-burning iron stove; in the distance a bearded man is given a shave; in the parlor the table is laden with food and drink including a large loaf of bread; women of the household dressed in the fashionable full skirts of the period care for their children; the gateway of the residence stands open to a view of the harbor. Although the print is rich in detail, it is not based on an actual foreign residence of Yokohama. Rather, the artist has created the scene from a number of contemporary sources. Many of the Western figures, such as the man playing the cello in the center print and the woman and child, have been adapted from illustrations published in the Illustrated London News and Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper. [Adapted from Ann Yonemura, Yokohama: Prints from Nineteenth-Century Japan] Visualizing Cultures image number: Y0099 Keywords: Westerners, foreign children, food, alcohol, Yokohama, musical instruments, Illustrated London News, Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper |
On viewing images of a potentially disturbing nature: click here. |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology © 2014 Visualizing Cultures |