Foreigners from the Five Nations Enjoying a Banquet
3rd month, 1861
Medium
Triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
Image (a): H. 14 1/4 in. (36.2 cm); W. 9 5/8 in. (24.4 cm) Image (b): H. 14 1/4 in. (36.2 cm); W. 9 5/8 in. (24.4 cm) Image (c): 14 1/4 x 9 1/2 in. (36.2 x 24.1 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
2007.49.168a–c
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the waning years of Japan's Edo period (1615–1868), Utagawa Yoshikazu captured a moment of cultural curiosity with his 1861 triptych *Foreigners from the Five Nations Enjoying a Banquet*. This woodblock print, rendered in vibrant ink and color on paper, exemplifies the ukiyo-e tradition of the Utagawa school—known for its lively depictions of everyday life, theater, and the exotic. The triptych format, with each panel measuring about 14¼ inches high, allowed Yoshikazu to unfold a panoramic scene, a technique that heightened narrative immersion in Japanese printmaking. Created amid Japan's ...
About the Artist
Utagawa Yoshikazu
Utagawa Yoshikazu (active circa 1850–1870) was a Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock print artist who came of age during one of the most dynamic periods in Japanese history — the twilight of the Edo period and the dawning of the Meiji era. Born and active in Edo (present-day Tokyo), he trained under the celebrated master Utagawa Kuniyoshi, one of the towering figures of the Utagawa school renowned for his ...