We introduce you ukiyo-e prints, which capture society during the period of rapid Westernization, from the Edo period to the Meiji period.
"Injun Kaika Ryuko Gekkenkai," drawn by Ikkei Shosai (Giboku Shosai) and published by Manson, is a colored woodcut from a three-sheet series from the early Meiji period.
It depicts Japanese objects used since ancient times and foreign objects newly introduced from the West. It portrays scenes of sword fighting and partisan fighting in an attempt to determine which is more popular.
The print in the upper right portrays the traditional Japanese clock being knocked down by the latest octagonal clock (Western clock) near Narita Fudoson.
Other objects drawn for comparison include a kotatsu and a heater, komageta (Japanese clogs) and shoes, kabuto (Japanese armor) and a hat, cattle and fighting cocks, a crepe and velvet.
Unfortunately, such Japanese objects became obsolete, but it is interesting to view a slice of life from that time.
