Strict feudal rule and a rising middle class characterizes this period.
1615 - 1868
videos + essays
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A portrait of St. Francis Xavier and Christianity in Japan
A portrait that celebrated Francis Xavier, the “Apostle of Japan” whose mission had inaugurated the Japanese Catholic Church.
Beyond the Great Wave — Hokusai at 90
A fisherman and a woodcutter — at age 90, the great Japanese artist Hokusai painted these moving images of contentment.
Utagawa Kunisada I, Visiting Komachi, from the series Modern Beauties as the Seven Komachi
In this example of ukiyo-e, the artist represents a modern woman in the guise of Komachi, a legendary poetess.
Ogata Kōrin, Red and White Plum Blossoms
Combining metallic curls with mottled color, Kôrin’s screens capture the pulsing vitality of early spring.
Hokusai, Under the Wave off Kanagawa (The Great Wave)
Perhaps the most iconic image in Japanese art, this woodblock print inspired many Western artists—including Monet.
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