Japanese Modernism Across Media
Artists
Creative Print Artists
In Edo period, Ukiyo-e, urban art of woodblock prints, was the one of the most popular art form in Japan. However, as Japan opened the country to the West, ukiyo-e was exposed to the competition with western art forms, especially with photography in the early 20th century.
As a result, the struggle and demise of ukiyo-e produced two new forms of woodblock printings in Japan, Creative Print (Sosaku Hanga) and Revival Print (Shin Hanga).
The artists involved in One Hundred Views of New Tokyo are all Creative Print artists.
Creative Print differs from other types of print from the strong artistic intention, a printer put on their creations. Onchi Koshiro, the most well-known Creative Print artist described, “Print is not a printed picture, but a picture painted by a block, which makes it a means to creation(sosaku). Artistic function in printmaking comes from the creative intention.”
One Hundred Views of New Tokyo is the series of prints which the eight independent Creative Print artists cooperated to convey the same message, “fear of even more urbanization with rebuilding of the city” and “nostalgia for the loss of familiar city scenes” after the Kanto Great Earthquake. Even though each artist’s techniques and styles differs from each other, the series corporately conveys the complicated but strong message of the lament for the loss of old Tokyo views and the hope for the future of Tokyo. Those artists including Onchi Koshiro were all leading Creative Print artists.
In this page, I sort the works in One Hundred Views of New Tokyo by artists. Here, you can see the distinctive artistic and technical features of eight Creative Print artists, as well as the change of orienting style over time of each printer.
Onchi Koshiro
Early Spring at Nijyubashi
March, 1929
Early Autumn at the Zoo
September, 1929
In front of the Britich Embassy
October, 1929
Movie Theater
December, 1929
Dance Hall Scene
March, 1930
Cafe
June, 1930
Imperial Palace Plaze
July 1930
Hibiya Open Air Music Hall
november, 1930
Twilight Scene at the Floodbank of the Inogashira Pond
November, 1931
Setting Sun at Tokyo Theater
December, 1931
In Takebashi
March, 1931
Meiji Shirine
1929-1932
Tokyo Station
1929-1932
Maekawa Senpan
Honjo Factory District
May, 1929
Yatsuyama in Shinagawa
August, 1929
Year-End Fair
Decemberm 1929
Vegetable Market at Kanda
May, 1930
Lumberyard in Fukagawa
June, 1930
Suijo Park in Daiba
August, 1930
Meiji Theater
October, 1930
Night Scene at Shinjuku
July, 1931
Miniature Golf
September, 1931
Subway
1931
Department Store, Shibuya
January, 1932
Gotanda Station
February, 1932
Fujimori Shizuo
Atagoyama Radio Studio
March, 1929
Red Gate of Tokyo University
May, 1929
Distant View of Nikolai Cathedral
September, 1929
Tsukijima
November, 1929
Central Meteorological Observatory
1929-1930
Hyokeikan in Spring Snow
February, 1930
The Kabuki Theater at Night
June, 1930
Tokyo Imperial University
August, 1930
Eitai Bridge
December, 1930
Yasukuni Shrine
April, 1931
Earthquake Memorial Hall
May, 1931
Around Mitsukoshi Department Store
December, 1931
Ueno Station
May, 1932
Henmi Takashi
Botanical Garden
March, 1929
Kagurazaka
September, 1929
The Outer Gardens of Memorial Picture Gallery
December, 1929
Reinanzaka
1929-1930
Hijiri Bashi
Marhc, 1930
Rain in Yotsuya-Mitsuke
June, 1930
Imperial Hotel
October, 1930
Metropolitan Art Museum
May, 1931
Park at Hongo Motomachi
July, 1931
Toyama-ga-hara
October, 1931
Road Leading to the Meiji Shrine
December, 1931
Kinshi Park
May, 1932
Ushigome Mitsuke
1929-1932
Hiratsuka Unichi
Nihonbashi
February, 1929
Ueno
April, 1929
Akasaka Palace
September, 1929
Benkei Bridge
December, 1929
Shinobazu Pond Snowcape
March, 1930
Shops at Asakusa
May, 1930
Black Gate
July, 1930
Sukiyabashi
October, 1930
Shinbashi
May, 1930
Edogawa Park
September, 1931
Yoyogigahara
November, 1931
Yaesuguchi Avenue
December, 1931
Kawakami Sumio
Aoyama Cemetry
May, 1929
Ginza
August, 1929
Military Grand Parade
December, 1929
Inside the Department Store
April, 1930
Okuma Memorial Hall, Waseda University
May, 1930
Asakusa Park, Casino Follies
June, 1930
View of Marunouchi
August, 1930
Chrysanthemum Show, Hibiya Park
December, 1930
Fish Market
1929-1930
Cloudy Day at Marunouchi
1929-1930
Azabu Sanrentai
March, 1931
Hamarikyu Park
December, 1931
Fukazawa Sakuichi
Shiba Temple
April, 1929
Yanagi Bashi
July, 1929
Tsukiji
September, 1929
Entrance to Hamacho Park
November, 1929
Senjuohashi
1929-1930
Kiyosu Bridge
Februarym 1930
Kototoi Bridge
May, 1930
Shin Arakawa
June, 1930
Rising Sun Shell, Showa Street
June, 1930
Cafe District in Shinjuku
October, 1930
Sakashita Gate
July, 1931
Meiji Baseball Stadium
December, 1931
Kyobashi
April, 1932
Suwa Kanenori
Shinbashi Theater
April, 1929
Hibiya
October, 1929
Mitsubishi in Marunouchi
December, 1929
Mukojima
1929
Sakurada Gate
February, 1930
Asakusa
1930
Edobashi
July, 1930
Fukagawa Garbage Incinerator
November, 1930
City Hall, Hibiya
August, 1931
Shibaura Drawbridge
October, 1931
Imperial Diet Building
February, 1932
Marunouchi: Tokyo Station
1929-1932
