Russian (Oroshiajin), from the series "People of the Five Nations (Gokakoku no uchi)"

Art Historical Context

In the late Edo period, Utagawa Yoshitora captured Japan's growing fascination with the outside world in his 1861 color woodblock print *Russian (Oroshiajin)*, from the series *People the Five Nations (Gakoku no uchi)*. This oban-sized (about 14 x 10 inches) portrays a Russian figure in traditional attire—likely featuring a fur hat, beard, and flowing coat—exotic to Japanese eyes amid the end of the sakoku isolation policy. The series highlighted foreigners from key treaty nations like Russia, the United States, Britain, France, and the Netherlands, blending curiosity with subtle national intr...

About the Artist

Utagawa Yoshitora · 1845–1880

Utagawa Yoshitora (歌川 芳虎), also known by his art names Ichimōsai, Mōsai, and Kinchōrō, was a prolific ukiyo-e artist born in Edo (modern Tokyo), where he trained under the renowned Utagawa Kuniyoshi, recognized as his oldest pupil. Little is known of his early life, which remains sparsely documented, but his earliest works include illustrations for the book *Story of Karasu Kanzaemon’s Loyalty* in...