Children's World Depicted in Ukiyo-e of the Meiji Period

• Exhibition Overview
• Exhibition Information
• Highlights
• Exhibition Details
• Related Events

Exhibition Overview

When looking closely at the children depicted in ukiyo-e, one sees many children who convey the atmosphere of their time period through their tiny bodies. ukiyo-e of the Meiji period depict children living their lives to the fullest, while studying and playing, amid changes taking place in society due to Westernization.

At the beginning of the Meiji period, when schools started offering education influenced by the West, ukiyo-e begin to show children dressed in Western clothing learning in school. This artwork can be said to depict images of children considered ideal at the time. ukiyo-e that included English words and depicted the lives of great Western men started to be created, serving as learning materials for boys and girls who sought success in life with an eye on the world outside Japan.

This was a time in which the scents of the Edo period still lingered in the back streets of the city. After some time passed since the beginning of the Meiji period, people increasingly felt nostalgia for the Edo days, and ukiyo-e again depicted cute children dressed in kimono who brought back sweet memories. ukiyo-e artists born in the Meiji period such as Miyagawa Shuntei and Yamamoto Shoun depicted in detail children who inherited the culture of playing that blossomed in the Edo period, and these were highly popular. Old-school omocha-e (toy prints) continued to be created, and these remained as toys that captured the hearts of children, no matter the time period.

This exhibition is an attempt to take another look at children playing and learning amid the new wave of Westernization while there were still vestiges of the Edo period, through ukiyo-e and materials of the period. Roughly 300 pieces will be displayed. In addition to ukiyo-e depicting children, the exhibition will showcase ukiyo-e for children such as ukiyo-e used as school teaching materials full of hope for the future and omocha-e and monogatari-e (story ukiyo-e) that nurture dreams. We hope that you will see how colorful the visual world of the children of the Meiji period was, while also getting a glimpse of adults watching over the children as they grow.

Exhibition Information

Duration	Saturday 7 OctoberーThursday 23 November 2017
Closed	Mondays (Open on Monday (national holiday), October 9; Closed on Tuesday, October 10)
Hours	Weekdays: 10:00-17:00 (visitors must enter by 16:30) Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays: 10:00-17:30 (visitors must enter by 17:00)
Venue	Special Exhibition Room 1・2, Machida City Museum of Graphic Arts
Admission	General visitors: 800 (600) yen College and high school students/Senior citizens 65 years old or older: 400 (300) yen
Special cooperation by	Kumon Institute of Education, Tamagawa University Museum of Education
Planning and Coordination by	Mangosteen
Next exhibition venue and date	Ashikaga Museum of Art July 14 - September 2, 2018

*Free admission for junior high school students and younger
*Free admission on October 7 (the opening day) and November 3 (Culture Day)
*The fees shown in parentheses are for groups of 20 visitors or more
*Half price for visitors who bring a Physical Disability Certificate, Rehabilitation Certificate, or Mental Disability Certificate, and one person accompanying them

▶Children's World Depicted in Ukiyo-e of the Meiji Period flyer PDF[3.28MB] *Japanese Only
▶Children's World Depicted in Ukiyo-e of the Meiji Period press release PDF[4.48MB] *Japanese Only

Highlights

A collection of kodomo ukiyo-e (children’s ukiyo-e) from all over!

Ukiyo-e depicting children and ukiyo-e made for children are called kodomo ukiyo-e. This was an important ukiyo-e genre from the Edo period to the Meiji period, along with genres such as bijinga (prints of beautiful women) and yakusha-e (prints of kabuki actors). At this exhibition, we will present various cute kodomo ukiyo-e from the Meiji period. This will be the first-ever large exhibition featuring kodomo ukiyo-e from the Meiji period.

There will be lots of fun things to do!

All sorts of events will be offered for kids and adults alike to enjoy, including activity corners where you can touch and play, workshops and book readings. Please visit and become familiar with how children played in the Meiji period.

Exhibition Details

Part 1: The Sounds of Westernization

We will follow the various phases of Westernization seen through ukiyo-e, from the cityscapes of the new city of Tokyo to English learning.

Part 2: The Birth of Schools and Ukiyo-e that Served as Learning Materials

After schools were established through the introduction of the educational system, ukiyo-e called kyoiku nishiki-e (educational color prints) became widely used as educational materials. This exhibit features learning materials that were actually used as well as ukiyo-e and sugoroku (board games) that have school life as their subject matter.

Part 3: Watching Over Children - Chikanobu / Shuntei / Shoun

We present numerous cute kodomo-e by three unique ukiyo-e artists who were active during the Meiji period: Yoshu Chikanobu, Miyagawa Shuntei and Yamamoto Shoun. Although they have depicted the manners and customs of the Meiji period, vestiges of the Edo period can be seen in the children dressed in kimono.

Part 4: A Large Pictorial Book of Child’s Play

The exhibit features tsukushi-e (pictures of all sorts of people, animals or things) in which animals and children fill the artwork as well as omocha-e such as kumiage-e (paper models) and kisekae-e (dress-up pictures), which are paper craft toys that are built and played with. Furthermore, we present a zoetrope and a slide projector, which are the roots of animation and projection, as well as early children’s books that nurtured children’s dreams.

Related Events

Memorial Lecture: “Mother and Child Depicted in Ukiyo-e”

Experiencing the Techniques for Creating Ukiyo-e - Live Demonstration of Printing and Lecture

We have invited a suri-shi (printer) who has inherited the traditional techniques of ukiyo-e. This suri-shi will actually print Katsushika Hokuksai’s “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji - Fine Wind, Clear Morning”. Please enjoy watching “Red Fuji” being printed along with a detailed explanation by Watanabe Shoichiro.

Speaker: S. Watanabe Color Print Co.
Date: Saturday, 28 October; First session: 11:00-12:30, Second session: 14:30-16:00
Venue: Lecture Hall on the 1st floor

* Seating capacity for each session: 120, on a first-come basis (no registration necessary)
* Free admission. However, visitors of high-school age and older must present an exhibition ticket (ticket stub is acceptable).

Let’s Fold and Create - Omocha-e Workshop

■How to apply

：Machida City Event Telephone: 042-724-5656 (7:00-19:00, year round)
▶町田市イベント申込システム「イベシス」Machida City Event Application System “EVESYS”
　Search the event by a keyword, or the event code “171006H” during the reception period of application.

■ Application period

：Friday, 6 October (from 12:00) - Tuesday, 31 October (until 19:00)
“EVESYS” Tuesday, 31 October (until 23:59)

■How to select audience members

First-come, first-served basis

▶COCHAE OFFICIAL WEBSITE

Book Reading at a Museum - A Time for a Picture Book and Talking

A Museum for 0-year-olds and Up - Family Enjoyment Session

■How to apply

：Machida City Event Telephone: 042-724-5656 (7:00-19:00, year round)
▶町田市イベント申込システム「イベシス」Machida City Event Application System “EVESYS”
　Search the event by a keyword, or the event code “171006J” during the reception period of application.

■ Application period

：Friday, 6 October (from 12:00) - Tuesday, 7 November (until 19:00)
* “EVESYS”Tuesday, 7 November (until 23:59)

■How to select audience members

First-come, first-served basis

Play Together and Travel Back in Time to the Meiji Period

Commentary of Artwork

(1) Special talk by the Museum Director
Sunday, 12 November, in the Temporary Exhibition Room
(2) Gallery talk by the Curator in Charge
Friday, 27 October and Sunday, November 19 in the Temporary Exhibition Room
(3) Slide talk by the Curator in Charge
Sunday, October 8 in the Lecture Hall on the 1st floor

* Each session starts at 14:00 and will last for approximately 45 minutes
* For (1) and (2), please come to the venue directly with an exhibition ticket valid for that day.

Let’s Talk at the Museum – Free-Talk Day

On Wednesdays and Saturdays while the exhibition is being held
This is an attempt to have visitors enjoy talking about the artwork rather than observe silence for viewing artwork.
Please feel free to visit on these days, even if you have small children.