The etymology of the word "ukiyo" goes back to the Buddhist term meaning
the frailty of a fast-moving world. The concept of "ukiyo" is generally closely related to
Buddhist worldview. IN medieval literature and aesthetics it is
the concept meant a vain, mortal, sorrowful world. In the 15th century it received
secular interpretation, it came to be understood as “everyday
reality". In the 17th century, “ukiyo” began to mean peace
entertainment and pleasures that the townspeople could get in the “fun
blocks." It is no coincidence that the main form of fine art
During the Edo period, color woodcuts appeared - mass art,
reproduced and best known.
The history of the development of engraving is dynamic, bright, it clearly shows all
stages of worldview development new era and characteristic of them
features of perception of reality. While other genres
are experiencing their last heyday, a new genre of landscape appears for ukiyo-e
fukei-ga. Its place in ukiyo-e engraving is very noticeable. Complex and
the multifaceted process of space formation in ukiyo-e prints
was carried out primarily as a result of the interaction of Western cultures
and East.
N and the drawings show the stages of work on the Ukiyo-e engraving.
Unlike European author's engravings, ukiyo-e engraving was
the result of collective creativity. Each of its sections had its own
subtleties and required great specialization. The artist painted black and white
base (sita-e) and denoted color individual parts, carver
transferred the picture to the board, and the printer selected colors and transferred
image on paper. For an engraving to become a work of art, it was
What is needed is a real creative collaboration between these masters. Artist
had to take into account the specifics of the cutter’s work, since the quality of the line, in
ultimately depended on the carver. Achieving virtuosity in work,
carvers developed their own style, which largely determined
engraving style. With a large flow of products, carvers cooperated:
the most experienced ones cut faces and hairstyles, their assistants cut less
responsible clothing and body lines, and the simplest work was performed
journeymen. The overall color scheme of the engraving largely depended on
printer, since usually the artist followed only the very first
prints. The publisher also played an important role in studying demand and
who determined the circulation. Often it was he who set the theme of the engraving and influenced
the nature of the publication, acting as a kind of patron of talented authors.
The authors of the engraving received orders from publishers, who selected
carvers and printers. The right to publish the engraving belonged to the publisher;
for commercial reasons, individual sheets were sometimes reprinted and
even entire series, often with some changes: could be omitted
title of the series, the sheet could have been published in a different format. Collective method
the work of an artist, carver and printer, narrow specialization of craftsmen,
The workshop organization of the process determined the originality of Japanese woodcuts.
Technically, Japanese engraving is letterpress printing.
The process of creating the engraving looked like this. The artist did
contour drawing in ink on thin, transparent paper. The engraver pasted
slightly moistened drawing with the front side on the board longitudinally
sawed. Cherry wood, sometimes pear, was usually used for this.
or Japanese boxwood. Trees were cut down in the fall and left to lie throughout
winter, taken out in the spring and kept for two years. Surface of the boards
processed very carefully. She was supposed to be so smooth
so that two boards stick together without glue when they touch.
Then the engraver cut a board according to the drawing for the outline print - the “key
board”, with the label “kento” (by which all other clichés were fitted).
The original was destroyed, which is why so little has survived to this day.
author's drawings, which apparently represent preliminary
sketches. The lines had to be very thin, no more than a third of the thickness
drawing lines, since they inevitably expanded during printing. Often
carvers specialized in a specific area,
for example, in the depiction of people or animals.
When the “key” was ready
board", the printer made test prints and sent them to the artist, who
roughly outlined the coloring or simply wrote in hieroglyphs
color names next to each detail of the image. For every color
a separate board was cut out; raised mark in its upper left corner
provided the ability to accurately match the color with the contour. Very
the choice of tree was important; the boards had to have different qualities in
depending on their purpose: the hardest wood was used for
"key board"; The softest types of wood were used to print the background.
When all the boards were ready, the work passed into the hands of the printer. He
composed paints using plant and mineral pigments
origin. Vegetable paints were prepared using rice glue,
mineral - based on animal fat. The printer's work was not mechanical -
following the general instructions of the artist, he himself selected the tones, adjusted
color intensity, so that from his artistic vision, ultimately
Ultimately, the accuracy of the implementation of the author's plan depended.
The photographs show the printer's work
The master tries on a template, which is fixed on spikes inserted into holes drilled in the printed board.
Surface preparation - in this place there will be a smooth transition from dark to light.
Applying paint.
And now according to the template..
And now - the most crucial moment...
A slightly damp sheet of paper placed on the board was smoothed by the master with a special
a device in the form of a round pad covered with a dense shell
bamboo shoot (barenom). The Japanese practically did not know the printing press
until the 19th century.
This is baren.
Baren in a firm hand)
The master removes the sheet - a gradient strip is created!
Now it remains to repeat this operation with other colors))
The paper for engraving had to be soft, hygroscopic, with a smooth
surface and with long strong fibers. She was cut into
established standard; The following print formats are accepted in Japan:
(approximate): oban - 38x25 cm; oban-yokon - 25x38 cm; shikishiban -
20x18 cm; Chu-ban - 30x20 cm.
Each sheet contains hieroglyphic inscriptions - explanations of the plots,
poems, names of characters and signatures of the creators of the engraving. Signatures are usually
consist of a name and a traditionally added hieroglyph indicating that
what kind of work the signatory did.
In addition to inscriptions, almost every engraving has several seals. They
provide valuable information about when a particular leaf appeared and who
took part in its creation. As a rule, engravings contain
the following seals: the artist's seal placed directly under his
signature or next to it; publisher's seal found sheets,
differing only in publishing seals. This phenomenon may be
explained by the existing practice of reselling boards by one publishing house
to another. In this case, the new owners of the board sometimes cut off the seal
old publishing house and added their stamp with the date of publication of the engraving and
censor's seal. Control over engraving was one of the manifestations
comprehensive regulation carried out by the Tokugawa government.
Since 1790, in order to combat luxury and the decline of morality
the government periodically introduced restrictions regarding the subject matter and
engraving techniques. In addition to the personal seals of the censors, there were marks
“aratame” (“tested”) or “kiwame” (“excellent”), placed after
these seals. Deciphering seals not only helps to establish
authenticity of the engraving, but also allows the viewer to feel the living
atmosphere of creating a leaf.
Ukiyo-e prints were published in a wide variety of forms: both as books
illustrations, art albums and individual sheets, which are often
were combined into diptychs, triptychs and series, as well as in the form of scrolls
genre sketches from theatrical life (kabuki joshi emaki). Their
interfered with tokonoma or hung as decoration on supporting pillars, appeared
even a special format of narrow and long engravings, which was called hasira-e
(hang on a pole, approximately 65x12 cm).
Based on materials: World art. Katsushika Hokusai. Series
engravings “36 views of Fuji” and “100 views of Fuji”. -SPb: SZKEO LLC
“Crystal”, 2006. - 192 pp., ill. Compiled by A. A. Ivanova.
As well as materials from the sites http://art.liim.ru and http://woodblock.com
The founder of ukiyo-e is considered to be the Japanese painter and graphic artist Hishikawa Moronobu.
Initially, the engravings were black and white - only ink was used; from the beginning of the 18th century, some works were then hand-colored with a brush. In the 18th century, Suzuki Harunobu introduced multi-color printing techniques to produce nishiki-e (“brocade pictures”).
Ukiyo-e prints were affordable due to their ability to be mass produced. They were intended mainly for urban residents who could not afford to spend money on paintings. Ukiyo-e is characterized by pictures of everyday life, in tune with the urban literature of this period. The engravings depicted beautiful geishas ( bijin-ga), massive sumo wrestlers and popular kabuki actors ( Yakusya-uh). Later, landscape engraving became popular.
Story
The ukiyo-e style arose in the wake of urbanization at the end of the 16th century, which led to the emergence of a class of merchants and small artisans who began to write stories or tales and decorate them with drawings. Similar collections were called echon(Japanese: 絵本 - “book of pictures”?). One example of such art is the 1608 publication “Ise-monogatari” (“The Tale of Ise”) by Honami Koetsu. Such books made extensive use of ukiyo-e as illustrations. Later, engravings began to be printed as independent works - kakemono(Japanese: 掛け物 - a scroll with a picture or saying?) and posters for the kabuki theater.
Process of creation
Cut out printing form
To create ukiyo-e, an artist, a carver and a printer were required. Ukiyo-e was made as follows. The artist made a prototype of an engraving on thin paper with ink, the carver glued this drawing face down onto a board of cherry, pear or boxwood and cut out from it the areas on which the paper was white, thus obtaining the first printing plate, but destroying the drawing itself. Then several black and white prints were made, on which the artist indicated the intended colors. The carver produced the required number (sometimes more than thirty) of printing plates, each of which corresponded to one color or tone. The printer, having discussed the color scheme with the artist, applied paint of vegetable or mineral origin to the resulting set of forms and manually printed the engraving on wet rice paper.
Famous artists
- Hishikawa Moronobu
- Torii Kiyonaga
- Kunitika
- Kunishida
- Toshusai Sharaku
- Toyokuni
Notes
Links
- Pictures of an elusive world - ukiyo-e - article by Galina Shchedrina on the website Artgalery.ru
Literature
- A. Savelyeva World art. Masters of Japanese engraving. - “Crystal”, 2007. - 208 p. - 10,000 copies. - ISBN 5-9603-0033-8
- M. V. Uspensky Japanese engraving. - St. Petersburg: “Aurora”, “Amber Tale”, 2004. - 64 p. - (“Aurora Library”). - 5000 copies. - ISBN 5-7300-0699-3
Wikimedia Foundation.
2010.:Synonyms
See what “Ukiyo-e” is in other dictionaries: - (Japanese images of the everyday world) school of Japanese painting and woodcuts of the 17th - 19th centuries. She inherited the traditions of genre painting of the 15th and 16th centuries. It is distinguished by the democratism of its plots, consonant with the urban literature of the Edo period (early 17th - 2nd half of the 19th centuries).... ... Big
encyclopedic Dictionary Ukiyo-e - Ukiyo e UKIYO E (Japanese images of the everyday world), school of Japanese painting and woodcuts (17th-19th centuries). Ukiyo e is characterized by portraits of actors and beauties from the “cheerful quarters”, scenes from everyday life, consonant with urban literature... ...
- (Japanese images of the everyday world), a direction in Japanese painting and woodcuts of the 17th-19th centuries, reflecting democratic trends in art that arose in connection with the rapid development of urban life. Stories from life have become widespread... encyclopedic Dictionary
- (Hishikawa Moronobu), Japanese artist, the most famous master of ukiyo e (see UKIYE E) of the early period. Son famous master decorative fabrics by Hishikawa Kichizaemon. After... ... encyclopedic Dictionary
- (1753/1754 1806), Japanese master of color woodcuts and painter. Representative of the ukiyo school e. Portrait and genre exquisitely poetic female images, created using a smooth flowing line, the use of mica powder, giving the effect... ... encyclopedic Dictionary
- (1760 1849), Japanese painter and draftsman, master of color woodcuts. Representative of the Ukiyo direction e. In the main graphic works (the series “36 views of Mount Fuji”, 1823 29, “Journey to the waterfalls of various provinces”, 1827 33), ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary
- (Suzuki Harunobu) (1725?, Edo, now Tokyo July 8, 1770, ibid.), Japanese artist, master of ukiyo e (see Ukiyo e). Little is known about his life (like the lives of most ukiyo e masters), but his place in history Japanese art its clearly defined... encyclopedic Dictionary
- (Japanese images of the everyday world), school of Japanese painting and woodcuts (17th-19th centuries). Ukiyo e is characterized by portraits of actors and beauties from cheerful neighborhoods, scenes from everyday life, consonant with urban literature of the early 1720s... ... Modern encyclopedia
Story artistic life Japan is marked by continuous searches and a series of amazing discoveries. On different stages historical development Japanese art arose, developed, and reached perfection in various genres, reflecting a long journey of understanding the laws of the surrounding world, the proportionality of human existence and nature. The world of artistic and decorative activities of the Japanese nation is extremely diverse and is marked by a special aesthetics that combines the simplicity of ideas with a poetic perception of the laws of the universe, the desire to live in harmony with the eternal and at the same time continuously changing nature.
Admiration for the beauty of the surrounding life and nature, the ability to admire every moment of it, determined the characteristics of the national character of the Japanese and was expressed in various types of Japanese art. The artistic exploration of reality was the main aesthetic trend that determined the development of Japanese art in general, especially the development of genre painting. One of the most unique phenomena in the history of the development of Japanese art - this is a woodcut, which received the name ukiyo-e in Japanese art.
The Japanese borrowed techniques for printing from wooden boards from the Chinese back in the 12th century and used them, initially using black ink, to make black-and-white prints of Buddhist texts. The production technology of Japanese prints represented a collective creative process, in which an artist took part, creating a basic sketch of the future image on matte fiber paper, a carver, transferring the created image onto a longitudinal sawn wooden board, and a printer, printing the design by hand.
Moreover, carvers very often specialized in a particular area of artistic images: people, animals or nature, achieving special virtuosity and subtlety of lines. And the printer, following the artist’s instructions, selected the necessary shades, determined the color intensity, clearly embodying artistic design masters
How independent genre Japanese fine art was formed in the 17th century, when the socio-economic life of society began to change. In that historical period in Japan, a new urban environment is being formed, social classes of small artisans, merchants, and Active participation in economic and social life countries. The phenomena of decorative and applied art are no longer just the privilege of aristocratic circles of Japanese society, but are becoming the property of wide sections of the urban population. It was in the depths of urban culture that the ukiyo-e genre arose, in which, for the first time in the history of the development of Japanese art, real reality was reflected, being an endless source of artistic images.
The works of Hishikawa Moronobu
Genre painting, namely Japanese engraving, which arose at the intersection of art and craft, went through a dynamic path of development, capturing pictures of everyday life in society in artistic images. The word ukiyo-e means “pictures of the world passing by” in Japanese. Gradually, this genre merged the traditions and techniques of Chinese fine art with an exclusively Japanese view of the world.
The first engravings, which gained enormous popularity among the urban population, were made in black and white version, were simple in composition, color scheme and affordable to a wide circle urban population. Developing as a special genre direction of Japanese art, ukiyo-e contributed to the emergence outstanding artists, each of whom worked in his own manner.
The first master of original engraving, considered its founder, was the artist Hishikawa Moronobu, who began his creative life from book graphics. He was the first to leave his name on the engravings he created, and it was his work that determined the style of early Japanese engraving. Choosing simple and intelligible subjects, the artist, with calligraphic precision of lines and laconic means of expression, painted genre scenes from the everyday life of the Japanese city and its inhabitants.
The name of Hishikawa Moronbu is also associated with the emergence of a movement that glorifies female beauty. These works are concentrated in the master’s album “One Hundred Images of Women of this Mortal World” and are a kind of hymn to the cult female beauty.
The work of Suzuki Harunobu
By the middle of the 18th century, color engraving appeared in Japan and the first master to create in the genre of multicolor engraving was Suzuki Harunobu. Initially, some engraving works began to be painted manually with a brush to add a variety of colors, then a new two-color printing technique appeared, in which two colors were used: green and pink.
Using new technical techniques of polychrome woodcut, Suzuki Harunobu introduced various shades of colors into engraving, expanded genre themes, and filled the artistic world of Japanese engraving with the widest range of human feelings and experiences. For the brightness of the colors, the accuracy of shades and tones, Suzuki Harunobu’s engravings received the name “brocade pictures”.
At each stage of its historical development, Japanese prints acquired new features in the development of the surrounding world. The emergence and establishment of landscape as an independent genre variety in Japanese engraving is associated with the penetration of European methods of creating linear perspective and using the play of light and shadow. The fusion of European painting techniques with the Japanese worldview contributed to the emergence of a new concept of landscape drawing.
The work of Katsushika Hokusai
The true master of landscape prints was Katsushika Hokusai, who left a huge legacy in the form of more than thirty thousand prints and drawings, among which one of the most famous series “36 views of Fuji” was highest point creative skill of the artist. The entire series, consisting of 46 sheets, is dedicated to the national sacred symbol of the Japanese - Mount Fuji, its greatness and significance in the life of Japanese society.
In Katsushika Hokusai's landscape series, philosophically meaningful nature is a full-fledged, independent participant in the plot. Capturing well-known pictures of nature in his works, the artist uses the Fuji motif as an unchanging symbol of the beauty, grandeur and immutability of the surrounding world.
During the period when Europeans discovered the cultural space of the country Rising Sun Japanese prints, along with other forms of decorative and applied art, took their rightful place at world art exhibitions held in Europe at the end of the 19th century, and then in the collections of world-famous collectors.
Japanese woodblock printing became widespread in Edo (Tokyo). IN during the XVII- In the 19th century, Edo was the main residence of the shoguns; scientists, writers and artists were attracted here, which provided the city with a powerful economic and cultural boost. In 1868, after the overthrow of the shogunate and the restoration of imperial power, the capital of Japan was moved from Kyoto to Edo. This is where the direction of fine art was born, which is designated by the term “ukiyo-e” (translated from Japanese as “pictures of a changing world”). This concept was borrowed from the philosophy of Zen Buddhism, for which it is important to realize the frailty of human existence in comparison with Eternity. Therefore, in the Zen school, comprehension of life “here and now” came to the fore. Admiring the fleeting moments of the present has become an integral part of Japanese aesthetics and one of the ways of natural closeness to nature and meditation in the spirit of Zen Buddhism.
"... Live only for the moment given to you, enjoy admiring the moon, cherry blossoms, autumn maple leaves, sing songs, drink wine and have fun, not caring at all about the poverty that defiantly stares us in the face, mindlessly surrender to the flow, like a pumpkin, dispassionately drawn by the flow of the river. This is what we call ukiyo-e..." (Asai Ryoi, 17th century writer)
The fine art of ukiyo-e was associated with tanka and haiku (hoku) poetry, which also sought to convey the moment of the present in an extremely simple form and at the same time accommodate all space and the whole world.
In the cup of a flower
The bumblebee is dozing. Don't touch him
Sparrow friend!
Colored ukiyo-e prints were more affordable than painted scrolls and were purchased by a variety of segments of the urban population to decorate their homes. With the advent of cameras, the phenomenon of ukiyo-e began to disappear, as photography became a more advanced way of capturing a moment.
In Japanese woodcuts there was a division into genres:
KATO-GA - images of flowers and birds
FUKEI-GA - natural landscapes and city views
BIJIN-GA - images of beautiful people
YAKUSHA-E - portraits of popular kabuki theater actors
MUSYA-E - images of famous samurai
SYUN-GA (“spring pictures”) - erotic engravings
KATYO-GA
Almost all types of garden flowers came to Japan from China, including the chrysanthemum (in Japanese "kiku" - "flower of the sun"), which soon became national flower countries. The names of the shades of Japanese chrysanthemums were of a poetic nature: “morning dawn”, “evening sunset”, “northern shower”, “ foggy morning", "lion's mane", "sword shine".
In 1496, a book was published in Kyoto with a botanical description of more than 10 varieties of chrysanthemums, which differed sharply from each other in flower shape and color. There was no color printing at that time, so the shades of the varieties were described in words. With the advent of color engraving, multi-volume collection albums began to appear, in which not the descriptive, but the artistic and visual aspect came to the fore.
In the 18th century, the Maruyama-Shijo school of Japanese classical naturalistic painting was founded in Kyoto on the “artist street” of Shijo. Its founder, the artist Maruyama Okyo, combined naturalism, chiaroscuro and perspective of the Western school with traditional Eastern painting techniques.
One of Maruyama-Shijo's students became Kono Bayrei- famous master of kate-ga. He created great amount easel engravings, several books and albums. A special place in his work is occupied by the “Album of Birds and Flowers” (1883), in which the artist depicts birds and flowers at certain times of the year. The engravings were published both as separate editions and combined in blocks: spring-summer, autumn-winter. The album with engravings "One Hundred Birds" went through three editions in 1891, 1892 and 1896. The album "One Hundred Flowering Plants" was first published posthumously in 1901. 
BIDZIN-GA
With the development of the large urban centers of Edo and Osaka, scenes of traditional festivals and entertainment of the townspeople appear on scrolls and screens. Central characters These pictures include young metropolitan fashionistas and dandies in flashy outfits. Portraits of courtesans became widespread, serving as advertisements for the “fun” Yoshiwara quarter. Despite their advertising nature, bijin-ga rarely allowed one to assess the true appearance of a particular beauty. Rather, it was a collective portrait reflecting fashion trends in costume, makeup and hairstyle.
Tighten a narrow belt.
From the gaze of a young beauty
It feels cold.
Considered a recognized master of the genre Kitagawa Utamaro.The female image in his works was subject to increased typification. The ideal of female beauty in the master’s works is an elongated oval face and body proportions, traditional updo, eyes outlined minimum quantity strokes, fine lines lips and straight nose. Moreover, to depict one detail, Utamaro could use several dozen boards! Thanks to the constant search of the master, the ukiyo-e palette has been enriched with many nuanced tones. For example, the artist was the first to mix gold and silver powder to achieve a shimmering background effect.
The engraving depicts three beauties of Edo - Nanbai O-Kita, Takashima O-Hisa and Tomimoto Toyohina. O-Kita worked as a waitress in a tea house located in front of the Zuishinmon Gate in Asakusa, Toyohina was a geisha in Yoshiwara. Takashima O-Hisa (picture on the right) came from a wealthy family, she was the daughter of the owner of several tea houses in the Ryogoku Yagenbori area. In the book "Mizutaya Hyakunin Issho" (1793), which compared one hundred girls from tea houses, O-Kita was in 16th place, and O-Hisa was in 17th place. 
Flower arranging competition between Takashima O-Hisa and O-Kita 
The ideal of female beauty created by Utamaro inspired both his contemporaries and younger artists. Among the master's followers, it is worth mentioning Eisho Chokasaya. The most significant series of his engravings is “Competition of Beauties” fun neighborhoods" - demonstrates the gradual complication of the genre: development multi-figure compositions and filling portraits with numerous details. 
Utagawa Kunisada
Toyohara Kunichika, a student of Utagawa Kunisada, depicts courtesans of the highest rank, whose distinctive skill was to create the impression of luxury and inaccessibility. Tayu (as they were called in Osaka and Kyoto) and oiran (in Edo) made very complex hairstyles with a lot of decorations, wore a kimono with three or more layers with a long train and a huge decorative bow in front. In Kunichika's works the composition becomes complex and multi-layered, like the robes and hairstyles of geishas, pierced with dozens of hairpins - "kanzashi".
"Three Famous Courtesans" 
MUSYA-E
For many millennia, the history of Japan is a history of irreconcilable inter-clan wars and struggles for power between shoguns. According to the legendary Records of Ancient Affairs (708) and the Annals of Japan (720), the emperors are direct descendants of the sun goddess Amaterasu. The dynasty continued uninterrupted from the 6th century BC until the current reigning Emperor Akihito. Since the 12th century family coat of arms("mon") is a 16-leaf chrysanthemum.
To maintain power, the imperial family entered into alliances with other large clans. As a result, in 1192, Minamoto Yoritomo became the country's first military ruler - the shogun. The title appeared as an abbreviation for the temporary title of seii-taishogun ("commander-in-chief"). Unlike the emperor, his figure was not sacred, but he became the de facto head of the government - the bakufu.
Samurai (“bushi”) are not just warriors, but officials, as well as bodyguards and servants of their overlord. The "golden age" for samurai came during the Edo era, when they received many privileges. And it was allowed to wear two swords, a large and a small one, while the rest could only wear one small sword. Tokugawa Ieyasu called the sword the “soul” of the samurai. It was a family treasure and a sacred object.
Each samurai developed fortitude through the practice of Zen Buddhism, guided by a set of ethical rules and norms of behavior in society and at home - Bushido or "Way of the Warrior."
In 1868, the power of the emperor was restored. The rapid modernization of the country began, following the model of England and the United States; in 1873, the samurai troops were disbanded. In 1876, a law was passed that prohibited the wearing of swords and abolished the class itself.
Summer herbs
Where the heroes disappeared
Like a dream.
(Matsuo Basho)
Utagawa Yoshikatsu
Takeda Shingen (series "Famous commanders of our country")
Utagawa Kuniyoshi
Yamamoto Kansuke (Haruyuki) at the Battle of Kawanakajima (series "Brave commanders of the province of Kai and Echigo - 24 commanders of the Takeda clan") 
Takeda Sama-no-suke Nobushige (series "One Hundred Brave Generals of the Battle of Kawanakajima in Shinano Province") 
FUKEI-GA
Hokusai(1760 - 1849)
The outstanding master of woodcuts, according to his own diary confessions, until the age of 70 did not create anything significant and only started later continuously develop. Throughout his long life, he used no less than 30 pseudonyms, significantly surpassing other authors in this regard. Now these pseudonyms are being considered by researchers to periodize the stages of the master’s creativity. In 1800, at the age of 41, he began to call himself Gakejin Hokusai - "Obsessed with the Hokusai Drawing."
The artist addressed various genres woodcuts: among them are portraits of actors, Greeting Cards"Surimono", manga. But it was in the landscape genre “fukei-ga” that all the master’s discoveries were combined. The classic Far Eastern landscape ignored the real appearance of the object, trying to natural forms bring philosophical ideas existence, while in Hokusai it is always associated with a specific area, the topographical features of which are often specified with the help of inscriptions. He was also the first to combine in a harmonious unity the laws of perspective construction of space and the linear rhythm of ukiyo-e, landscape views and everyday motifs, actively integrating people’s lives into a single universal order.
Hokusai created his most famous series of works in mature period creativity from 1823 to 1831. The series was such an unprecedented success that publisher Nishimura Yohachi soon announced plans to expand it to 100 prints. However, only 10 new works saw the light of day in 1831-32.
In the first 36 views, the sacred Mount Fuji is depicted from the Edo side, so these engravings are called "omote Fuji" ("Fuji from the front side"). Contrary to established tradition, the original contours of the works are printed not in black, but in blue - indigo, which enhances the contrast of cold and warm tones of the sky, water and mountain stone. In the next 10 engravings, the image is presented predominantly from the western side, which is why they are called “ura Fuji” (“Fuji from the reverse side”).
Quietly, quietly crawl,
Snail, along the slope of Fuji
Up to the very heights!
(Kobayashi Issa)
1. "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" 
Hiroshige(1787 - 1858)
Ando Hiroshige is Hokusai's most successful follower. As a sign of respect for the work of his teacher, Hiroshige created after his death the series of the same name, “36 Views of Mount Fuji.” Hiroshige actively improved technique woodcuts. Distinctive features His prints began to use embossing and a method of gradation of color tones, "bokashi", to convey fog, twilight or a forest behind a veil of rain.
Having been born and having lived most of his life in Edo, the master devoted almost a fifth of all the sheets he created to views of his hometown. last series work was called "100 known species Edo" and was made by the master at a time when he had already retired from the world to a Buddhist monastery in 1856.
Hiroshige traveled extensively throughout Japan and created several sketchbooks with views of the provinces.
Episode "53 Tokaido Stations"
Tokaido or "East Sea Route" - one of the main roads of Japan, about 514 km long, connected the capital of the shogunate, Edo, with the imperial city of Kyoto and further with Osaka. None of the subjects, with the exception of Fuji, was as popular as the image of this ancient tract. Hiroshige crossed it in 1832 as part of a solemn procession heading to Kyoto with gifts to the emperor. The series consists of 55 engravings, because... views of Edo and Kyoto have been added to 53 stations.
Portable hearth.
So, heart of wanderings, and for you
There is no peace anywhere.
(Matsuo Basho)
Station 15 - Kambara 
FUZOKU-GA
Fuzoku-ga ("pictures of morals and customs") in the Western tradition are usually called everyday genre. Busy piers, shopping and craft districts were depicted at different times of day in different seasons. Hiroshige dedicated the first 10 sheets of his series “36 Views of Fuji,” as well as the later series “100 Famous Views of Edo,” to views of the eastern capital and its inhabitants.
With a crash the silks are torn
At Echigoya's shop...
Summer time has arrived!
(Takarai Kikaku)
Hiroshige "Evening view of Saruwakacho" (series "100 famous views of Edo and its environs") 
Hiroshige "Suruga District in Edo" (series "36 views of Mount Fuji") 
Hiroshige "Cherry blossoms in Asukayama in Edo" (series "36 views of Mount Fuji") 
Hiroshige "Winter view from Sukiyagashi in Edo" (series "36 views of Mount Fuji") 
City landscapes in the drawings of ukiyo-e masters are emphatically realistic, however, they often contain motifs of mysticism and folk beliefs. For example, an image of fire foxes, which, according to legend, possess magic and serve the Shinto goddess Inari, and also gather in a flock on New Year's Eve under the enoki tree.
Ando Hiroshige "Fox Lights at the Iron Dressing Tree in Oji" (series "100 Famous Views of Edo and Its Environs") 
There are also simply humorous stories. Hiroshige even had a separate pseudonym for such sheets - “Hiroshige with a playful brush.” The works of Hiroshige himself became the subject of irony from his own student Utagawa Hirokage. His series Comic types famous places in Edo" directly refers to the famous series of the teacher, with the only difference being that in it city residents find themselves in all sorts of awkward situations, which makes the viewer laugh.
YAKUSYA-E
The word "kabuki" is made up of three characters "song", "dance" and "skill", it is one of the types of traditional theater in Japan, which is a complex synthesis of singing, music, dance and drama.
Unlike the aristocratic NO theater, kabuki is considered an art for city dwellers and common people. The theater where everything female roles performed exclusively by men, was created by a woman. The founder of kabuki is considered to be the legendary temple dancer Izumo no Okuni, who first began performing ritual dances to the accompaniment of musical instruments outside the sanctuary. In 1629, the government of the third shogunate, Iemitsu, banned all performances involving women as undermining the moral foundations of society.
In kabuki, all elements, from the actors’ makeup, costumes, to poses, carry a great meaning. The play is much longer than European productions: individual performances can last all day! The scenery of productions often changes in the middle of the act: they are changed by workers dressed in black suits, which means they are “invisible”.
Kabuki has a close relationship with traditional bunraku puppet theater. The dolls are made in 1/2 and 2/3 human size sizes and are controlled by three operators. Almost all parts of the doll’s body are very movable, including the head, where the eyes blink and move, the eyebrows and lips move, and the tongue sticks out. Two most famous plays Japanese theater- "47 Faithful Ronin" and "Yoshitsune and the Thousand Sakura Branches" - were originally written for bunraku and only then adapted for the kabuki theater.
Utagawa Kunisada
Kabuki theater scenes 
Katsushika Hokusai. Tenmabachi Bridge in Settsu Province. A series " Outstanding Views famous bridges of the provinces", between 1824 and 1834
The wood engraving technique has been known in Japan since ancient times. It came from China via Korea along with Buddhism in the early period of Japanese history. But woodcuts reached their artistic heyday in the 18th-19th centuries. Ukiyo-e prints are the main type of woodcut in Japan. The founder of ukiyo-e is considered to be the Japanese painter and graphic artist Hishikawa Moronobu.
Initially, the engravings were black and white - only ink was used, with early XVIII centuries, some works were then painted by hand using a brush. In the 18th century, Suzuki Harunobu introduced multi-color printing techniques to produce nishiki-e (“brocade pictures”). Famous artists of this period included Utamaro, Hokusai, Hiroshige and Toshusai Sharaku. Studying European art, Japanese artists adopted the technique of depicting perspective in drawing, and landscape and other genres also developed in engraving. Hokusai depicted mainly landscapes and nature in his prints. In 1831, his famous collection “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Hokusai)” was published. Almost each of the prints is distinguished by high artistic quality and professional skill, thanks to which Japanese engraving has become a significant phenomenon not only of national but also of world artistic culture. Ukiyo-e prints were affordable due to their ability to be mass produced. They were intended mainly for urban residents who could not afford to spend money on paintings.
Japanese artist, known under the nickname Segawa 37, modernized vintage engravings, animating classic Japanese woodcuts using Adobe Photoshop and After Effects. Static images have turned into animated GIFs, and elements of science fiction have also been introduced into them. modern technologies- Segway, high-speed train or alien spaceship. The artist's animated images are participating in the GIFs - Award of GIF creator 2015 competition, supported by Adobe.
2. By Segway along the Tokaido Road between Edo and Kyoto past Fukuroi Station 27
An engraving from Utagawa Hiroshige's "53 Stations of the Tokaido" series, painted after traveling in 1832 along the Tokaido Road between Edo and Kyoto.
The Tokaido was one of five roads that connected Edo with other parts of Japan. Tokaido ran along the eastern coast of Honshu, which is why it got its name “Eastern Coastal Route”. Along it were located 53 postal stations, where travelers were offered accommodation, food and stables. In 1832, Hiroshige crossed the Tokaido as part of an official delegation transporting horses for the imperial court. The horses were a symbolic gift from the shogun, presented annually to the emperor as recognition of his divine status.
The landscapes along the journey made such a strong impression on the artist that he made many sketches, both during the road from Edo to Kyoto and on the way back. Upon returning home, he immediately began working on the first engravings. The first works in the “53 Tokaido Stations” series were published simultaneously by Hoeido and Senkakudo publishing houses. The engravings sold for 12-16 copper coins apiece, which was the equivalent of a pair of straw sandals or a bowl of soup. The enormous success of this series made Hiroshige one of the most significant and recognized masters of engraving of the Tokugawa Ieyasu period.
In the animation, a traveler on a Segway passes along the road.
3. Shadows of evening Edo
The theme of the city of Edo (Tokyo) was one of the most beloved by the artist born in it. In total, throughout his life, he created about 1080 sheets where this capital appeared. In this series, he not only highlighted the beauty of Edo, but also included references to history, customs and legends. The theme of the engravings was not the most Famous places cities, and those that interested the master with their picturesqueness.
In the ukiyo-e genre it is not usually customary to depict shadows, but in this print they are boldly and abundantly drawn by the artist, which is even more emphasized in the animation.
4. At the Moritaza Kabuki Theater
Moritaza is one of the three large kabuki theaters in Edo.
Over the years of his work, Utagawa Kunisada created from 20 to 25 thousand “plots”. Most attention Utagawa focused on images related to the kabuki theater and the actors playing. This genre accounts for about 60% of Kunisada's work.
5. Up and down big waves in Kanagawa
"The Great Wave off Kanagawa" is the most famous work Katsushiki Hokusai. Copies of the engraving hang in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the British Museum in London, and another in the home of Claude Monet in Giverny, France. The engraving shows huge wave looming over a boat near Kanagawa Prefecture. Mount Fuji is visible in the distance and is the background to the main action in the picture.
6. Snowy morning on the Koishikawa River: a downed MiG-29 causes a Great Wave in Kanagawa
Engraving from the series “Thirty-six views of Mount Fuji” by Katsushika Hokusai.
No. 11. Snowy morning on the Koishikawa River
Here is a picture of a small river with many small stones in it. Therefore, the area near this river began to be called Koishikawa (“koishi” is a small stone, “kawa” is a river). The former Koishikawa River is the general area from Suidohashi Bridge, to the Mount Hakusan area, as stated in the "Collected Images of Edo Landmarks", while crossing a wide area, from the Otowa area, the Sekiguchi hill reaches Zoshigaya Station. Hokusai depicts a rare snowfall in Edo. In the left corner of the engraving he will place a “ryotei” restaurant, which overlooks Fuji. Visitors are likely to drink yukimishu (sake for enjoying the snow) and admire the view of Mount Fuji. Perhaps this is a moment of “yukimi” (admiring the snow).
In the animation, a restaurant visitor shoots down a MiG-29 with a laser beam, which, when falling into the river, causes Big wave in Kanagawa.
7. On a fishing boat along the Tama River to Bushu
Engraving from the series “Thirty-six views of Mount Fuji” by Katsushika Hokusai.
The "Tama River at Bushu", or "Tamagawa River", is one of the so-called "Six Rivers of Tamagawa" and has long been a favorite motif for ukiyo-e artists. On foreground the viewer sees a man with a loaded horse wandering alone along the shore. A fishing boat, breaking through the waves perpendicular to the diagonal of the shore, enhances the impression of space receding into the distance. The color scheme of the sheet contributes to the feeling of integrity and completeness of the composition. Three main color accents - wood, Fuji and a dark blue stripe of peal at the top edge of the engraving - enhance the impression of harmony and balance in the system of the universe.
8. Strong wind in Ejiri Bay, Sunshu Province
Engraving from the series “Thirty-six views of Mount Fuji” by Katsushika Hokusai.
At Ejiri station along the Tokaido highway, not far from the port of Aomizuko, in the area of the road leading to this port, there was the famous Lake Ubakeike. It is probably the one that appears white on the right side of the engraving. Around the bend in the road you can see a small chapel. According to existing legend, a “female evil spirit", ghost. They say that if a traveler calls “Nya-nya!”, then foam will rise from the bottom of the lake. But Hokusai was most interested in the state, the mood of nature, and the leaf, in this regard, is the most interesting. The artist depicts a gust of wind that bent a tree and tangled the clothes of travelers walking along a winding road. White sheets of paper, snatched from the hands by a gust of wind, soared into the sky like a flock of birds. It seems that everything around is involved in this cycle. Only the clear outline of Fuji, drawn with a precise line, remains motionless and further emphasizes the dynamic movement of the foreground.
9. Fireworks at Ryogoku
The artist is best known for his prints of the suburbs of Tokyo, which depict the formation of the new Japan of the Meiji era. He is called the last master of traditional ukiyo-e painting. A number of his works are devoted to the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 and the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905.
10. Kites fly higher than Mount Fuji
Engraving from the series “Thirty-six views of Mount Fuji” by Katsushika Hokusai.
Two kites with letters of “kotobuki” wishes for happiness rise into the sky, they rose even higher than Fuji. We see it between two roofs of buildings, as if flanking Fuji. On the high, large roof to the right, three roofers are doing their dangerous work. The signs on the fabric store on the right and on the thread store on the left are eye-catching; they read: “Payment in cash. Yen without request." Hokusai depicts the famous shops owned by Kotakoshi, one of the Mitsui family. These shops were opened in 1673 and were especially popular during the Tokugawa period. According to the inscriptions on the engraving, thanks to the trading methods he introduced: “cash, sale, fixed yen,” his chain of stores flourished. He was the first to allow samurai to pay in cash (genkin-kakenashi); before that, there was a credit system, which means that yen were issued “with a request.” The depiction of Mitsui's store was a popular theme among ukiyo-e artists.
Engraving from the series “Thirty-six views of Mount Fuji” by Katsushika Hokusai.
No. 7. Sazae-do, one of the 500 Rakkanji temples.
This is the largest of the five temples in Edo, which was built south of the Tategawa River. Sazae-do was built in 1741 and was famous for the separately built staircase leading to the top of the three-tiered pagoda. The engraving depicts a man and a woman on the right, who, having completed a pilgrimage to holy places, sank exhausted directly to the floor of the gallery. In contrast to them, on the left is a skinhead Buddhist monk with “furoshiki” behind his shoulders. He energetically points his finger at Fuji. The engraving is distinguished by a richly developed color scheme. Masterful use of undertones of black and of blue color, formed using the “itabokashi” technique - rolling to convey chiaroscuro, makes the sheet unforgettably bright in color.
In the animation, a Buddhist monk points his finger at a UFO abducting Fuji.
The publication uses articles from Russian, English and Japanese Wikipedia; texts from the book: World Art. Katsushika Hokusai. Series of engravings “36 views of Fuji” and “100 views of Fuji”. - St. Petersburg, 2006.
