Yoshikuni II: Western Family in Osaka

Artist: Nomura Yoshikuni II (1851-1903)
Title: Picture of the Government Building at Osaka Eno-ko-shima（大阪江ノ子嶋政府之圖）Series: Famous Views of Osaka and Kyoto 大阪江ノ子嶋政府之圖  (Keihan meisho zue)  Date: 1885 (Meiji 18)

A western family takes a stroll opposite the western-style building of the Osaka Prefectural Government, which was built in 1874. The woman, wearing a straw hat and carrying an umbrella, holds the string to a balloon that is lighter than air, to the delight of her young daughter. Her husband stands at left, pipe in mouth and wearing a black overcoat and strange blue hat. Everything about the foreigners is strange, from their clothing and bizarre proportions to the way their feet touch the ground. The alien nature of the foreigners is reflected in their fantastical likenesses and the unique depiction of the environment around them. Their shadows are obvious and exaggerated. Even the Japanese man in the small wooden boat has been depicted at a tilted angle. Pink lead pigment has been used in the color of the mother’s skirt, and it blends from pink to oxidized grey. There is also a layer of an extra colorant on the black areas of the print that give it an unusual sheen. These prints were created at a time of fascination of western techniques, so there was also a layer of imitation “varnish” painted over the finished design, applied to give the work the “western” look of an oil painting. Often this varnish layer completely obscures the print over time, but here the effect has not been too deleterious. 

Nomura Yoshikuni II was a Kyoto artist who is often compared to Kiyochika in his unique way of depicting westernization.  Extremely scarce.

This rare series is set apart by its unique perspectives and grab-bag of western stylizations, giving all of its images an almost eerie, unsettling feeling. 

Condition: Very good impression, color and condition. Backed. All works from this series with the imitation “varnish” have areas of yellow staining. Here the are most apparent in the water. Some repaired holes at left and top left.

Dimensions: ôban (24.5 x 34 cm)
Publisher: Ikeda Fusajiro, Kyoto  Signature: Kyo (Kyoto) Yoshikuni hitsu

SKU: YOK015