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文明開化を描いた浮世絵

 
<浮世絵−開化絵と横浜絵>
  アメリカのペリー提督が来航した嘉永6(1853)年以降、多くの外国人が日本を訪れるようになった。この頃から明治時代の初期にかけて浮世絵の絵師たちが、競って外国人や彼らが持ち込んだ文物、風俗などを描いた。これらには幾つかの種類分けがあるものの一般的に「開化絵」とよばれている。安政6(1859)年に徳川幕府がアメリカ、イギリス、オランダ、ロシア、フランスの5カ国と締結した条約をもとに横浜を開港すると、その沖合いには多くの外国船が停泊するようになり、さらに外国人も数多く滞在しはじめた。それに伴い、彼らの生活や商業・社会活動に必要な各種の物資が持ち込まれ、日本人が初めて体験する異国情緒豊かな雰囲気が作られ、このような横浜の情景を描いた浮世絵が現れた。本来ならば、これらの絵だけを特定して横浜絵とよぶべきであろうが、拡大解釈してペリー来航以降から明治10年頃までのものを横浜絵とする考えもある。後者の見方にたてば、横浜絵イコール開化絵という解釈になる。
  未だ写真が普及していなかった時代に全盛となったこれらの浮世絵の人気は国内で急激に高まった。また、外国人が江戸時代中期からの伝統的な浮世絵と共に開化絵や横浜絵も大量に買い求め、帰国に際して持ち帰ったという。

<開化絵と横浜絵の隆盛>
  浮世絵の技法は既に江戸時代を通じて確立されており、多くの分野と種類がある。特に、横浜絵に関しては、横浜が開港されると江戸を拠点にしていた浮世絵の版元たちが相次いで絵師たちを同地へ派遣したようで、描かれた作品もその翌年の万延元(1860)年から文久年間(1861-1863年)に急増している。こうして、外国の船や人びとの服装、馬車などの文物や生活様式、さらにその後に新しく作られた西洋風の建築物などが描かれたが、明治5(1872)年に品川・横浜間に鉄道が開通すると絵師たちの関心は文明開化の象徴ともいえるこの汽車の姿に向かい、多くの絵師たちが煙をあげて走る蒸気機関車と長く連なった客車の様子を題材にし、横浜絵の隆盛は明治10(1877)年頃まで続いた。

<開化絵と横浜絵を描いた絵師たちとその周辺>

 この時期に開化絵を描いた絵師たちは江戸時代中期に活躍した歌川豊春<うたがわとよはる>を始祖とし、豊国<とよくに>から二代豊国、国貞<くにさだ>、国芳<くによし>らに繋がる歌川系の人たちが多く、また三代豊国を名のった国貞から、後に四代豊国を襲名する二代国貞や貞秀<さだひで>、国久<くにひさ>らへと続き、国芳門下からは芳員<よしかず>、芳虎<よしとら.>、芳藤<よしふじ>、芳幾<よしいく>、芳年<よしとし>、芳信、<よしのぶ>、芳盛<よしもり>、芳艶<よしつや>、芳富<よしとみ>、芳豊<よしとよ>、芳形<よしかた>らが筆を競った。さらに、豊広<とよひろ>から広重<ひろしげ>へと続く別の系統では二代広重や三代広重、国輝<くにてる>、一景<いっけい>が活躍している。
  これらの40人を超えると言われる絵師たちはいくつかの版元に属し、さらに絵師によって描かれた絵を木版に彫る彫師<ほりし>を経て、伝統的な版画道具である「馬連<ばれん>」を使って印刷する摺師<すりし>までの一貫した体制が江戸時代の浮世絵の発展と共にできあがっており、開化絵もこの流れに従って作られていった。

Woodblock prints portraying
Japan's opening to the West
 
<Woodblock prints - "kaika-e" and "Yokohama-e">
  Many people from other countries came to Japan following the arrival by U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry in 1853 (Kaei 6). From that time into the early part of the Meiji period, woodblock illustrators vied with each other in portraying these visitors and their cultural/civilized things, customs and manners. Although there are several different ways of classification, these works are generally called "kaika-e" (i.e., "modernization pictures"). In 1859 (Ansei 6), when the Tokugawa Shogunate opened the port of Yokohama to trade in accordance with the treaties concluded with the five countries of the United States, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Russia, and France, many foreign ships came to anchor off the coast there, and brought many passengers to reside in the city's foreign settlement. In the process, all sorts of items needed by the new residents for everyday life, business, and social activities also entered Yokohama, which acquired a pronounced exotic atmosphere of the sort the Japanese had never experienced before. Scenes of Yokohama consequently became a favorite subject of woodblock print illustrators. While some insist that, properly speaking, the term "Yokohama-e" (i.e., "Yokohama pictures") ought to be applied only to these prints, others widen its scope to include all such prints produced from the time of Perry's visit until about 1877 (Meiji 10). In the latter interpretation, it may basically be equated with "kaika-e."
  The production of these prints was in its heyday in the years before the spread of photography, and their popularity rapidly rose inside Japan. Westerners, too, bought a lot of "kaika-e" and "Yokohama-e" along with traditional woodblock prints dating from the middle part of the Edo era, and took them back to their own countries with them.


<Zenith of "kaika-e" and "Yokohama-e" production>
 The techniques applied in production of woodblock prints were established during the Edo era, and there are many genres and types of prints. Once the port of Yokohama was opened, publishers of the prints based in Edo apparently began to send their illustrators to Yokohama in a steady stream. Production of "Yokohama-e" surged in the period from 1860 (Man’en 1) (the year right after the port-opening) to 1863 (Bunkyu period; 1861-1863). The illustrators first painted things such as the ships from overseas, foreigners' clothes, horse-drawn carriages, and other subjects indicative of foreign life and culture, and then found themselves attracted to the newly built specimens of Western architecture. But upon the opening of the railroad line between Tokyo's Shinagawa district and Yokohama in 1872 (Meiji 5), their interest was diverted to the train, which stood as the very symbol of modernization. Many painted the steam locomotive puffing clouds of smoke and the long line of carriages behind it. "Yokohama-e" remained highly popular until around 1877 (Meiji 10).

<The illustrators and their organization behind "kaika-e" and "Yokohama-e">
  Many of the illustrators who painted "kaika-e" in this period were of the Utagawa school, which traced its start to Toyoharu Utagawa, who was active in the middle part of the Edo era. Their line ran from Toyokuni to Toyokuni II, Kunisada, and Kuniyoshi. There was another branch from Kunisada, who called himself Toyokuni III, that continued with Kunisada II (who was the fourth to succeed to the Toyokuni name), Sadahide, and Kunihisa. Kuniyoshi's students including Yoshika-zu, Yoshitora, Yoshifuji, Yoshiiku, Yoshitoshi, Yoshinobu, Yoshimori, Yoshitsuya, Yoshitomi, Yoshitoyo, and Yoshikata. In the line linking Toyohiro and Hiroshige were Hiroshige II, Hiroshige III, Kuniteru, and Ikkei.
  These illustrators, who reportedly numbered over 40, were attached to several publishers. The pictures they painted were handed to their stable woodcarver, who carved them on wooden blocks. The blocks were used by the printer to transfer the woodcut images to paper by rubbing it over the inked carvings with a "baren," his traditional tool. This linked system of production became established with the development of the prints in the Edo era, and the "kaika-e" were made thrugh the same procedure.

   
   
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