← Religion & Culture

Japanese Woodblock Prints

Artworks depicting traditional Japanese scenes, including court life and festivals, characterized by vibrant colors and detailed settings.

Fujikawa, Ando, Hiroshige, 1797-1858, artist, between 1834 and 1836, 1 print : woodcut, color ; 25.4 x 38.1 cm., Print shows travelers paying respects at a roadside shrine at the Fujikawa station on the Tokaido Road.
Fujikawa, Ando, Hiroshige, 1797-1858, artist, between 1834 and 1836, 1 print : woodcut, color ; 25.4 x 38.1 cm., Print shows travelers paying respects at a roadside shrine at the Fujikawa station on the Tokaido Road.
143 assets in this story
1788-21798754
Chinese gods of the Olympus, engraving from Memoires sur la Chine, by Stanislas d'Escayrac de Lauture, illustration from L'Illustration, Journal Universel, No 1139, Volume XLIV, December 24, 1864.
6145-29263377
Japanese funeral customs: in the house of the dead man, relatives share a meal with a Buddhist monk. Watercolour, ca. 1880 ().
1746-111327477
Soshu enoshima benzaiten kaicyo sankei gunshu no zu. translation: Opening celebration of Benzaiten Shrine at Enoshima in Soshu. by Hiroshige, 1797-1858, Japanese artist. between 1848 and 1854 woodcut, colour. Japanese triptych print shows large groups of women pilgrims visiting Enoshima shrine to worship an image of Benzaiten, the Goddess of Good Fortune. They are walking towards an island on a causeway with sailboats and Mount Fuji in the background.
1899-18713838
Hyakki Yako ('Night Parade of One Hundred Demons') is a Japanese folk belief. The belief holds that every year yokai, the Japanese supernatural beings, will take to the streets during summer nights. Anyone who comes across the procession will die, unless protected by some Buddhist sutra. It is a popular theme in Japanese visual art.
1899-18712275
The Kangxi Emperor (4 May 1654 -20 December 1722) was the third emperor of the Qing Dynasty and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper, from 1661 to 1722. Kangxi's reign of 61 years makes him the longest-reigning Chinese emperor in history (although his grandson, the Qianlong Emperor, had the longest period of de facto power) and one of the longest-reigning rulers in the world. However, having ascended to the throne at the age of seven, he was not the effective ruler until later, with that role temporarily fulfilled for six years by four regents and his grandmother, the Grand Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang.
6145-29280446
Men washing the body of a recently deceased man in a Japanese bath-house. Watercolour painting, 18--.
1899-18713448
The Khitan people (or Khitai, Kitan, or Kidan), were a nomadic Mongolic people, originally located in Mongolia and Manchuria (the northeastern region of modern day China) from the 4th century. They dominated a vast area in northern China by the 10th century under the Liao Dynasty, but have left few relics that have survived until today. After the fall of Liao in 1125, many Khitans moved further west and established the state of Kara Khitai, which was finally destroyed by the Mongol Empire in 1218.
6145-48531033
Decoration Projects for the Celebration of Court Holidays. unknown, author
6145-29810648
Ten Verses on Oxherding 1278 Japan In Zen, a herdboys search for his lost oxen has served as a parable for a practitioners pursuit of enlightenment since this Buddhist sects early history in China. In the eleventh century, the Song-dynasty Zen master Guoan Shiyuan (active ca. 1150) codified the parable into ten verses (g?th?), recorded and illustrated in this handscroll. The parable proceeds from the herdboy losing his ox and following its tracks to recover the animal to, in the next-to-last verse, transcending this world. In a final stage representing the attainment of Buddhist enlightenment, the herdboy becomes one with Budai (Japanese: Hotei), the manifestation of the future Buddha Miroku (Sanskrit: Maitreya). Dated by an inscription to 1278, the present scroll is the earliest known Japanese illustrated copy of the parable and the only extant version with color illustrations.One aimlessly pushes the grassesaside in search.The rivers are wide,the mountains far away,and the path be
1788-42177
Musicians in the street, detail on screen with eight panels depicting moments of everyday life signed by Kim Hong-do (1745-1814), ink and colours on silk. Korean civilization, Choson period (18th-19th century).
1899-19136837
China: Qingming Shang Tu or 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival' (detail), from a 1737 Qing Dynasty version based on the Zhang Zeduan (1085-1145) original scroll painting dating from the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127)
6145-29807001
Rank Badge with Lion of Asia 18th century China. Rank Badge with Lion of Asia 70728
1899-19136768
Japan: 'The Ainu Bear-Killing Ritual', from Ezo Shima Kikan ('Unusual Views of Ezo Hokkaido'), painted handscroll, Hata Awagimaro (1764-1808), c. 1840
6145-45732418
The character 'Dai' on the Nyoigatake mountain; Nyoidake Daimonji; Famous faces on the capital; Miyako Meisho No Uchi. Evening landscape with full moon; People on a winding road over a plain, looking at the 'Dai' sign lit on the mountain, which means 'large'. In the open places on the slope of the Nyoigatake Mountain in Kyoto, fires lit during the summer during the Obon Festival Vuren that illuminate the 'Dai' sign.
6145-29819488
Farewell at the Bridge of the Hanging Rainbow datable to 1508 Attributed to Tang Yin Chinese. Farewell at the Bridge of the Hanging Rainbow 45752
1899-18713706
Nichiren (February 16, 1222 - October 13, 1282) was a Buddhist monk who lived during the Kamakura period (1185-1333) in Japan. Nichiren taught devotion to the Lotus Sutra, entitled Myoho-Renge-Kyo in Japanese, as the exclusive means to attain enlightenment and the chanting of Namu-Myoho-Renge-Kyo as the essential practice of the teaching. Various schools with diverging interpretations of Nichiren's teachings comprise Nichiren Buddhism.
1899-18789778
Kani Naizen (1570 - 1616) was a Japanese painter of the Kani school, particularly known for his screen paintings (byi bu) of Namban (Southern Barbarians, i.e. Europeans). The Nanban trade (Nanban bi eki, 'Southern barbarian trade') or the Nanban trade period (Nanban bi eki jidai, 'Southern barbarian trade period') in Japanese history extends from the arrival of the first Europeans - Portuguese explorers, missionaries and merchants - to Japan in 1543, to their near-total exclusion from the archipelago in 1614, under the promulgation of the 'Sakoku' Seclusion Edicts.
6145-29771153
Monk Nichiren in Exile on Sado Island, from the series "Illustration of Famous Monks" 1835-36 Utagawa Kuniyoshi Japanese Kuniyoshi's series of ten prints published in 1835-36 was an abridged biography of the life of the monk Nichiren (1222-1282), the founder of the Nichiren Buddhist sect, which is based on the worship of the Lotus Sutra. Nichiren lived in exile on Sado Island from 1271 to 1274. This particular masterpiece of ukiyo-e printmaking creates a perfect resonance between pictorial and emotional presentation. The severe snowstorm symbolizes the hardships Nichiren underwent during his exile. The monk demonstrates his strength of spirit by persevering in his uphill struggle.. Monk Nichiren in Exile on Sado Island, from the series "Illustration of Famous Monks" 57049
1788-41851
Vassal bringing their tributes to the Tang court, by Yan Liben (ca 600-673), China. Detail. Chinese Civilisation, 7th century.
4220-21880777
Traditional Chinese dispensaries have changed little over time. Herbs are weighed out in daily doses, and patients receive bags of herbs to last the treatment. Date: 1864
6145-29272411
A panorama of the Tōkaidō highway showing a shogunal procession. Colour woodcut by Yoshitora, 1864.
6145-30104047
Optocht van mensen uit de Vijf Landen; Gokakoku jinbutsu gyoho no zu.Swinging procession of people from America, England, France Russia and the Netherlands. These five countries had a trade convey with Japan and were allowed to live delegates to Yokohama. (Yokohama-e Triptiek).
4408-13488
Opening celebration of Benzaiten Shrine at Enoshima in Soshu. ""So_shu_ enoshima benzaiten kaicyo_ sankei gunshu_ no zu"", Japanese Prints - Hiroshige
4292-40374
Detail of a mural painting showing bangkok shophouses and chinese vendors. Wat Thong Thammachat, Bangkok,Thailand.
6145-30188065
Fukusa (Gift Cover) Made 1801-1900 Japan. Embroidered .
1746-111331665
Colour woodcut showing a perspective view in the shrine at Ise with a ceremony taking place before the royal throne. Dated 1769
6145-29200683
Horse Race at the Kamo Shrine (Kamo kurabeuma zu) ca. 1600 Unidentified The famous horse race at Kyotos Kamo Shrine, held annually on the fifth day of the fifth month since the Heian period, was a ritual event preceding the Aoi Festival (Aoi Matsuri) celebrated on the fifteenth of the month. As in almost all depictions of the Kamo horse race, this folding-screen image shows several handsomely caparisoned horses racing along the track from right to left between temporary fences, as spectators, including aristocrats, priests, samurai, musicians, townspeople and even several Europeans (nanbanjin) look on. Many onlookers are also seated on the veranda of the large hall at the top of the composition. There, an audience is being given by an august individual who is clearly a member of the imperial family, possibly the emperor. The figure kneeling before him on the veranda is a high-ranking cleric, wearing a magnificent kesa (monks robe, worn draped over the left shoulder and under the righ
1899-19136847
China: Qingming Shang Tu or 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival' (detail), Zhang Zeduan (1085-1145) original scroll painting dating from the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127)
1746-21117857
Woodcut illustration of the Crown Prince and the Princess during their wedding ceremony. Meiji, Emperor of Japan, and other members of the imperial family are present. Dated 1900
4443-19375573
Large ceremony at the Yasukuni shrine, Men on horseback at a large torii (gateway to a Shinto shrine), behind which the wooden Yasukuni shrine. Middle leaf of a triptych., Shinsai Kiyooki, Japan, 1895, paper, colour woodcut, h 358 mm × w 233 mm
4409-17557983
Priest Saigyo Contemplating Mount Fuji. Kitao Shigemasa; Japanese, 1739-1820. Date: 1770-1779. Dimensions: . Color woodblock print; hashira-e. Origin: Japan. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, USA.
1899-18792643
The Taiping Rebellion was a widespread civil war in southern China from 1850 to 1864, led by heterodox Christian convert Hong Xiuquan, who, having received visions, maintained that he was the younger brother of Jesus Christ, against the ruling Manchu-led Qing Dynasty. About 20 million people died, mainly civilians, in one of the deadliest military conflicts in history. Hong established the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom with its capital at Nanjing. The Kingdom's army controlled large parts of southern China, at its height containing about 30 million people. The rebels attempted social reforms believing in shared 'property in common' and the replacement of Confucianism, Buddhism and Chinese folk religion with a form of Christianity. The Taiping troops were nicknamed 'Longhairs' (simplified Chinese: 毛; traditional Chinese: 長毛; pinyin: Chángmáo) by the Qing government. The Taiping areas were besieged by Qing forces throughout most of the rebellion. The Qing government crushed the rebellion wit
4409-53894
Japanese family eating. Nineteenth-century colored engraving.
6145-59569643
Mary with child, surrounded by six female saints in enclosed court, c. 1440 - c. 1460 print Mary with Christ in the middle, flanked by Saint Barbara and St. Catharina and four other female saints, sat in a enclosed court. Marge below and above woodcut painted with leaf and tibaries. paper. bole (clay) 'Virgo inter Virgines'. the virgin martyr Barbara; possible attributes: book, cannon(ball), crown, cross, chalice with wafer, Dioscuros (her father), peacock feather, sword, torches, mason's tools, tower. the virgin martyr Catherine of Alexandria; possible attributes: book, crown, emperor Maxentius, palm-branch, ring, sword, wheel. the virgin martyr Agnes of Rome; possible attributes: lamb, ring. the virgin martyr Margaret of Antioch; possible attributes: cross, crown, dragon (under feet or on chain), (chaplet of) pearls
1746-19680283
Interior of Buddhist temple or shrine with statues of (from left) Guan Yu, Liu Bei, and Zhang Fei by Gennadii Vasilevich, 1840-1912
4069-5326
Couple and cottage, from Adoration of the Magi, tripytch, c.1495 (with donors Scheyven and Patron saints Peter Agnes and Joseph) (detail)
6176-67045185
The Shogun receiving investiture from an imperial envoy, Japan, 1904. Artist: Unknown
1899-18712342
Hanami' is the centuries-old Japanese practice of picnicking under a blooming sakura or ume tree. The custom is said to have started during the Nara Period (710-794) when it was ume blossoms that people admired in the beginning. But by the Heian Period (794-1185), sakura came to attract more attention and hanami was synonymous with sakura. The custom was originally limited to the elite of the Imperial Court, but soon spread to samurai society and, by the Edo period, to the common people as well. Tokugawa Yoshimune planted areas of cherry blossom trees to encourage this. Under the sakura trees, people had lunch and drank sake in cheerful feasts.
6145-55961554
Lantern makers, Japan.. Postcards. 1907 - 1918. The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection. Japanese, Paper lanterns, Handicraft
6145-29902305
Much of the people witnessed the just punishment of the abbot insolent. (IT)
4443-75465191
A Chinese festival in San Francisco, California, captured between 1898 and 1931. Published by the Detroit Publishing Company between 1900 and 1902, the image features men in traditional Chinese clothing, highlighting celebrations among Chinese Americans in California. The medium used is offset photomechanical prints
6145-45733792
The Zojo sanctuary in Shiba; Shiba Zejoji; Twenty faces on Tokyo; Tokyo Nijukei. At the Red Temple de Zojoji, a woman walks under an umbrella in the snow.
6145-29095897
Gangwon and Kangwon Banner