Triptych printed on folding card from the series Chiyoda no Ooku ‘Life of Court Ladies’ depicting ceremony of New Year.
Size: Height 36cm, width 71cm
Object history: Acquired in Japan between 1986-89 from M.Nakazawa Gallery Tokyo.
Object literature: Chikanobu Yoshu (also known as Chikanobu Toyohara) was a famous woodblock print artist of the Meiji Period. Chikanobu was the son of samurai of the Sakakibara clan. During the Meiji Restoration, he joined the shogitai, an elite samurai brigade, and fought bravely in the Battle of Ueno in 1868. When the Shogunate fell, Chikanobu focused on a career in art. Trained in Kano school painting from an early age, Chikanobu shifted his attention to ukiyo-e around 1852. He began his printmaking career under the tutelage of masters like Kuniyoshi, Kunisada and Kunichika. By 1871, he had established himself as a leading print artist. He designed across all genres, from kabuki actors and beauties to military exploits of past and present. Through explorations of female beauty, Chikanobu Toyohara personified moments in Japanese history through fashion, manners and customs. I
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