Civil and Military Officers
December 1877
Medium
Triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
Oban; each panel: 13 3/8 x 9 1/4 in. (34 x 23.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Meiji period (1868–1912)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Lincoln Kirstein, 1959
Accession Number
JP3254a–c
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Civil and Military Officers** by Toshimasa, created in December 1877 is a striking triptych of woodblock prints in ink and color on paper, each panel measuring 13 3/8 x 9 1/4 inches in the standard oban format. Meiji period (1868–1912) work from Japan captures figures in traditional yet transitional attire, blending civil officials and military officers alongside women, evoking the era's rapid modernization. During the Meiji Restoration, Japan underwent profound Western-inspired reforms, including the establishment of a conscript army that replaced the samurai class. Toshimasa's print likel...