This is a well-argued thesis on a pertinent topic - revisiting the objectification of women in the genre of bijinga in early modern Japan. The thesis emphasises the need to revisit the...Show moreThis is a well-argued thesis on a pertinent topic - revisiting the objectification of women in the genre of bijinga in early modern Japan. The thesis emphasises the need to revisit the interpretation of women in this genre in relation to the historical functions of these images - advertising and selling the floating world. Based on analysis of selected case studies, the thesis argues convincingly that the escapist nature of representations of the floating world in ukiyo-e does not absolve researchers from their ethical responsibility to consider the historical realities behind the depiction of beautiful women. They were not just beautiful women but also sex workers, and their sophisticated and eroticized depiction in ukiyo-e purposefully glossed over these realities. Edo Period viewers of these images were aware of these realities to some extent but contemporary (Western) viewers are oftentimes not, which makes historical contextualization important for understanding the historical functions of these images. The thesis also argues that some bijinga depicted women more empathetically, and that this aspect has been marginalized due to the relatively uncritical interpretation of bijinga in past research primarily as an example of idealized art. For future research, the discussion of these marginalized bijinga can be extended.Show less
A closer look at the collaborative aspects of the Late Edo-period printing industry, the various techniques that were employed, and the way this process shaped the final product.
This research is about the untold history of intersexuality during a time when androgyny in juvenile boys was desirable and men performed female roles on stage. Moreover, it introduces the role of...Show moreThis research is about the untold history of intersexuality during a time when androgyny in juvenile boys was desirable and men performed female roles on stage. Moreover, it introduces the role of the body in the story about gender ambiguity in pre-modern Japan. Until now, studies on the history of gender and sexuality have focused on the role of culture in sex determination. However, this study proposes that biology was equally important. Through a critical analysis of visual material produced during Japan's pre- modern times, the intersexed character may be revealed as an essential figure for understanding the construction of gender, sex and sexuality in historical and contemporary times. In the Heian-period (794-1185), the intersexed character was presented as an absurd sexual deviant in the Yamai no Shōshi. The Genroku-period (1688- 1704) depicted intersexuality as a female deficiency in the work Kōshoku Kinmō-zui by Yoshida Hanbei, which was also reproduced around one and a half century later in Ryōsuitei Tanekiyo's Kaiin Suikōden Sho-hen. Towards the end of the Edo-perdiod (1800-1868) more graphic works of intersexed bodies appeared. Keisai Eisen's Makura Bunko invoked a gaze of shameless fascination and pity, whereas Utagawa Kunitora's Otsumori Sakazuki put intersexuality into the realm of erotic fantasy. Ultimately, this research asks the question: What do early images of intersexuality reveal about attitudes towards gender, sex and sexuality in pre-modern Japan? The answer to this question reveals how intersexed bodies, in various periods of time, were to be looked at with humour, curiosity, pity and sexual desire.Show less
When the ports opened in Yokohama a new type of ukiyo-e print was made. The Japanese people were fascinated by the new residents and the foreigners were an interesting subject for woodblock prints....Show moreWhen the ports opened in Yokohama a new type of ukiyo-e print was made. The Japanese people were fascinated by the new residents and the foreigners were an interesting subject for woodblock prints. The appearance of the foreigners on these prints changed a lot in comparison to earlier depictions of foreigners, for example the Nanban screens or tojin pictures. The different depictions of foreigners could be a marker for all kind of social and economic changes. Also the views that the Japanese people had of foreigners were changing and this was apparent because of the more Japanese looking foreigners on the prints. The times were shifting from the feudalistic Edo period into the more modern Meiji period. This meant that a lot of new people, culture, and technology was introduced. Not only did this affect the subject matter of prints but also the attitude the Japanese people had towards foreigners. Curiosity, hostility, and also fascination were felt during the time the ports were just opened and foreigners were let in, but these feelings were not always conveyed through the prints. In this thesis I will do a visual analysis on how the depictions of foreigners changed. Also through visual analysis I will discuss the social changes and attitudes of the Japanese people and the function of the prints.Show less
The human fascination with fear of the unknown has been documented in art and literature across civilisations for centuries. In every culture, this has manifested itself in the forms of creatures...Show moreThe human fascination with fear of the unknown has been documented in art and literature across civilisations for centuries. In every culture, this has manifested itself in the forms of creatures as bizarre as they are terrifying. These physical forms can be inspired by the world around us or reflect aspects of our own humanity. Perhaps the most awe-inspiring of all of these are those forms associated with the ocean. This paper explores the theory that art featuring sea monsters and other supernatural creatures is a phenomenon which appears in a society undergoing significant upheaval, change or trauma. Comparing the respective contexts of British and Japanese sea monster art, it will show how similar circumstances produced art that, while very different in visual aesthetic, has a remarkable amount of features in common in terms of subject matter and context. Furthermore, it will examine the ways in which these monsters are depicted in visual art can tell us about how British and Japanese societies approached and dealt with the fear and anxiety surrounding issues such as loss of traditional social structures, political and economic instability and the rapid and unpredictable change this brought about.Show less
Een onderzoek naar de relatie tussen populaire prentkunst, geschiedkunde, en de Keizer van Japan in het vroege stadium van de Meiji-periode (1868-1912). Het onderzoek richt zich op de prentenreeks...Show moreEen onderzoek naar de relatie tussen populaire prentkunst, geschiedkunde, en de Keizer van Japan in het vroege stadium van de Meiji-periode (1868-1912). Het onderzoek richt zich op de prentenreeks Dainihon shiryaku zue 大日本史略図会 (Beknopte Geïllustreerde Geschiedenis van het Grote Japan, 1879-1880) van prentkunstenaar Tsukioka Yoshitoshi 月岡芳年 (1839-1892).Show less
This thesis deals with the appropriation and adaption of western style vanishing point perspective in Japanese woodblock printing culture. The thesis combines literary research and visual analysis...Show moreThis thesis deals with the appropriation and adaption of western style vanishing point perspective in Japanese woodblock printing culture. The thesis combines literary research and visual analysis to provide an overarching meta-perspective on the development of the vanishing point perspective and its associated traits in ukiyo-e of the Tokugawa period.Show less
Dit onderzoek richt zich op de politieke, sociale en culturele veranderingen in de overgang van de Tokugawa 徳川時代 (Tokugawa-jidai) (1603-1868) en de Meiji periode 明治時代 (Meiji-jidai) (1868-1912)....Show moreDit onderzoek richt zich op de politieke, sociale en culturele veranderingen in de overgang van de Tokugawa 徳川時代 (Tokugawa-jidai) (1603-1868) en de Meiji periode 明治時代 (Meiji-jidai) (1868-1912). Door gebruik te maken van contextuele en visuele analyse van de ukiyo-e prentenserie ‘Chiyoda no Ōoku’ 千代田の大奥 (Het Binnenpaleis van Chiyoda) (1895-1896) van de kunstenaar Yōshū Chikanobu 揚州周延en diverse andere secundaire bronnen, worden de veranderingen die tijdens deze periode plaatsvonden aangetoond.Show less
Shikitei Sanba (1776-1822), a gesaku writer, has made during the height of his career the kibyōshi called Kusazōshi kojitsuke nendaiki: Mata yakinaosu, hachikatsukihime (1802). Kibyōshi are a genre...Show moreShikitei Sanba (1776-1822), a gesaku writer, has made during the height of his career the kibyōshi called Kusazōshi kojitsuke nendaiki: Mata yakinaosu, hachikatsukihime (1802). Kibyōshi are a genre of kusazōshi fiction, which were highly illustrated. The main goal of this work, is to depict the style of prose and illustrations of different eras in the history of kusazōshi both visually and verbally. What makes Kojitsuke Nendaiki interesting to study is that Sanba has taken the story-line of the story Hachikatsuki-hime as material to write a so-called mini encyclopedia of kusazōshi. This study will provide a translation of Kojitsuke Nendaiki. Furthermore it will place the text into its contexts, explore the importance of the work and analyze its content and visuals. The analysis of Kojitsuke Nendaiki’s content in this study will explore how the relationship between ukiyo-e schools has been expressed verbally. Although visual expressions of this relationship have been studied, verbal expressions haven’t. This is how this study will contribute to the studies of Kojitsuke Nendaiki and its contexts. We have also found that Kojitsuke Nendaiki is unique in its execution. The student of Edo-period literature and visual culture will value this material because it gives a wealth of information about the subject in an entertaining way.Show less
This BA thesis focuses on marketing strategies employed by designer and publisher to promote themselves as insiders of the popular Yoshiwara entertainment quarters and its brothels in Edo....Show moreThis BA thesis focuses on marketing strategies employed by designer and publisher to promote themselves as insiders of the popular Yoshiwara entertainment quarters and its brothels in Edo. According to research by Julie Nelson Davis , designer Kitagawa Utamaro (1753-1806) and publisher Tsutaya Jûzaburô (1750-1797) deliberately tried to create an “Utamaro persona” that would make Utamaro look like the ultimate insider of the abovementioned district in order to make more sales. I will elaborate on Davis’ thesis and analyze the main strategies that promoted Utamaro. Then works of other artists will be analyzed to see whether similar promotion can be found in their work as well. Davis indicates this possibility in her research as well, yet she focuses mainly on Utamaro and leaves other important artists by the wayside. In short, my main research focus will be the main self-promotional strategies of the Utamaro persona and whether these were unique in the commercial world of ukiyo-e publishing or whether they were tricks of the trade?Show less
This thesis explores the relationship between censorship of the authoritarian government of early modern Japan and the sharebon and kibyoshi sub-genres of gesaku literature, with reference to M.E....Show moreThis thesis explores the relationship between censorship of the authoritarian government of early modern Japan and the sharebon and kibyoshi sub-genres of gesaku literature, with reference to M.E. Berry's notion of the private public sphere (1998), and compares the situation of these literary sub-genres with the situation of ukiyo-e prints.Show less
