UKIYO-E PROJECT

Vestiges of Edo in Tsukuda - Winter

2020

About Vestiges of Edo in Tsukuda (Tsukuda ni Nokoru Edo no Omokage) Artist: URBANOWICZ Mateusz Woodcarver: SEKIOKA Senrei III Printer: ITO Tatsuya Year: 2020 Our first original landscape ukiyo-e depicting Tsukuda, a neighborhood next to Tsukishima station in the east of Tokyo. This artwork highlights the striking contrast between the modern architecture and historical elements, that co-exist in harmony in Tsukuda today. The Japanese title Tsukuda ni Nokoru Edo no Omokage translates to “the vestiges of Edo in Tsukuda” - the word omokage (vestige) refers to the river, an aspect of old Edo that has continued to exist to this day, despite the fact that other things may have evolved or disappeared with time. When we trace back the history of ukiyo-e, we can see that there have been many foreign ukiyo-e artists who created important shin-hanga works in the 20th century, such as Paul Jacoulet, Elizabeth Keith...

About Vestiges of Edo in Tsukuda (Tsukuda ni Nokoru Edo no Omokage) Artist: URBANOWICZ Mateusz Woodcarver: SEKIOKA Senrei III Printer: ITO Tatsuya Year: 2020 Our first original landscape ukiyo-e depicting Tsukuda, a neighborhood next to Tsukishima station in the east of Tokyo. This artwork highlights the striking contrast between the modern architecture and historical elements, that co-exist in harmony in Tsukuda today. The Japanese title Tsukuda ni Nokoru Edo no Omokage translates to “the vestiges of Edo in Tsukuda” - the word omokage (vestige) refers to the river, an aspect of old Edo that has continued to exist to this day, despite the fact that other things may have evolved or disappeared with time. When we trace back the history of ukiyo-e, we can see that there have been many foreign ukiyo-e artists who created important shin-hanga works in the 20th century, such as Paul Jacoulet, Elizabeth Keith...

Two Actors - Japanese Woodblock by Toyohara Chikanobu (豊原周延, 1838–1912), better known to his contemporaries as Yōshū Chikanobu (楊洲周延). Colorful and expressive court scene. Two actors...

"Various Himochi" Wagashi Festival Japanese Woodblock Print by Utagawa Toyokuni Rare oversized early 19th century 5-tiered woodblock by Utagawa Ichiyosai Toyokuni, (Japan, 1769-1825), a Japanese lord and wife oversee a sekku festival of food, music, and dolls or toys. '"oshi" is the first day of “Mi (Snake)” in the third month of the lunar calendar. This day, known in modern Japan as the Girls' Festival, originated in China as a form of purification ceremony in which water and drinking peach blossom wine were used to drive away evil. Many kinds of hishi-mochi appear in this picture of hina ningyo (dolls associated with Hinamatsuri, or the Girl’s Day) from Omochae. The custom of eating special dishes at events throughout the year and at milestones in people's lives has existed since ancient times. This paragraph specifically focuses on the annual event called sekku, and life events that involve eating sweets. Joshi is the first day of “Mi (Snake)” in the third month of the lunar calendar. This day, known in modern Japan as the Girls' Festival, originated in China as a form of purification ceremony in which water and drinking peach blossom wine were used to drive away evil. According to the Keiso saijiki, in ancient China, on the third day of the third lunar month, people ate “ryuzetsuhan,” which is the juice of gogyo (Jersey cudweed) mixed with rice flour and nectar. In Japan, there is a record in the Heian period history book Nihon Montoku tenno jitsuroku [839-5] that it was an annual event to make kusamochi using gogyo on the third day of the third month of the lunar calendar, which may have been influenced by Chinese customs. The tradition of eating kusamochi on the third day of the third month of the lunar calendar continued after that. By the Edo period, however, hishimochi had come to be used as a sweet to serve on the third day of the third month. A picture of a hishimochi is included in the Morisada manko , which we mentioned in Part 1. According to it, hishimochi in the Edo period were often three layers of green-white-green instead of the now common red-white-green. However, it is possible to see from our collection that not all hishimochi were made in this way. Omochae published in 1857, is a good example. Omochae is a type of ukiyoe print...