仏蘭西大湊諸国交易図|Illustration of a Large French Port Trading with Many Nations (Furansukoku oominato shokoku kōeki zu)
4th month, 1866
Medium
Triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
Image (a): 14 x 9 1/2 in. (35.6 x 24.1 cm) Image (b): 14 x 9 1/4 in. (35.6 x 23.5 cm) Image (c): 14 x 9 1/2 in. (35.6 x 24.1 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of William S. Lieberman, 2005
Accession Number
2007.49.256a–c
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the bustling final years of Japan's Edo period (16151868), master ukiyo-e artist Tsukioka Yoshitoshi created vibrant triptych woodblock in the 4th month of 1866. Titled *Illustration of a Large French Trading with Many Nations*, captures a dynamic scene of international commerce, featuring ships crowding the harbor, men and women mingling amid horses, and goods flowing between diverse traders. The medium—ink and color on paper, printed across three sheets each about 14 x 9.5 inches—exemplifies ukiyo-e's precision: intricate woodblocks allowed for bold colors, fine lines, and panoramic compositions that immerse viewers in "floating world" spectacles. This artwork reflects Japan's bakumatsu era, when Commodore Perry's 1853 arrival forced the nation open to Western trade after centuries of isolation. French ports like Yokohama or Nagasaki became hubs of global exchange, sparking both fascination and unease among Japanese artists. Yoshitoshi, renowned for his dramatic warrior prints and bijin-ga (beautiful women), here channeled that curiosity into a lively tableau of exotic ships and figures, blending traditional Japanese aesthetics with glimpses of foreign modernity. A bequest to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, this print offers a window into a pivotal cultural shift, highlighting woodblock printing's role in democratizing news and imagery for everyday viewers. Step closer and let the harbor's energy transport you to an era of transformation!
About the Artist
Tsukioka Yoshitoshi · 1839–1892
Tsukioka Yoshitoshi was born on April 30, 1839, in the Shimbashi district of Edo, the city that would become Tokyo. At the age of eleven he was apprenticed to Utagawa Kuniyoshi, one of the great masters of the Japanese woodblock print, who gave the boy the artist name 'Yoshitoshi' as a mark of lineage within the Utagawa School. From Kuniyoshi, Yoshitoshi absorbed the full tradition of ukiyo-e — th...