Bankoku danjō jimbutsu zue|Picture of Men and Women from all nations (Bankoku danjo jinbutsu zue)
4th month, 1861
Medium
Triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
Image (a): 14 3/4 x 10 in. (37.5 x 25.4 cm) Image (b): 14 3/4 x 10 in. (37.5 x 25.4 cm) Image (c): 14 3/4 x 10 in. (37.5 x 25.4 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
2007.49.230a–c
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Bankoku Danjō Jinbutsu Zue (Picture of Men and Women from All Nations)** Created by Utagawa Yoshiiku in the 4th month of 1861, this vibrant triptych of woodblock prints exemplifies the late Edo period's fascination with the wider world. Yoshiiku, a prominent artist from the Utagawa school renowned for ukiyo-e prints, crafted this work using ink and color on paper, with each of the three sheets measuring 14¾ × 10 inches. Assembled side-by-side, the panels form a panoramic scene, a format beloved in Japanese printmaking for its immersive storytelling. The title reveals its subject: depictio...
About the Artist
Utagawa Yoshiiku · 1833–1904
Utagawa Yoshiiku (1833–1904) was a prolific Japanese woodblock print artist and journalist who lived through one of the most turbulent and transformative periods in his country's history, the transition from the Edo period through the Meiji Restoration. A student of the celebrated Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Yoshiiku inherited his master's taste for bold compositional drama and dynamic figuration, applying...