Chikanobu: Modernity and Nostalgia in Japanese Prints

Chikanobu (1838-1912) was one of Japan's most popular woodblock print designers of the 1880s and 1890s, using the medium to document the rapid changes taking place in Tokyo but also to record the customs and lifestyles of the past. He created nishiki-e (brocade prints) of rich colours and extraordinary detail, showing French-style fashions and traditional kimono. This catalogue represents the first overview of Chikanobu's highly productive career spanning more than 30 years, with over 200 full-colour images of kabuki actors, warriors, the imperial court of Emperor Meiji, and the common people of Edo and Tokyo. Still highly popular today, Chikanobu is one of the most popular artists among Japanese print collectors. The book also serves as the catalogue of a travelling exhibition on Chikanobu, which opens in September 2006 at Scripps College in Claremont, California and closes at the International Christian University in Tokyo in the autumn of 2008.