England (Igirisukoku) - Utagawa Yoshitora

A classic Yokohama-e triptych by Utagawa Yoshitora depicting a harbour scene in England, capturing the Japanese fascination with Western culture in the 1860s.

This woodblock print by Utagawa Yoshitora, titled England (Igirisukoku), belongs to the Yokohama-e genre. These works emerged during the late Edo period as Japan began to open its ports to international trade. Artists of this time produced images of foreign lands and people to satisfy the curiosity of the Japanese public, who had limited access to the outside world. Yoshitora, a pupil of Utagawa Kuniyoshi, was known for his prolific output of these prints.

The composition is a triptych, a common format for large-scale woodblock prints. It depicts a harbour scene with large sailing vessels anchored in the water. The foreground features a promenade where figures dressed in Victorian-era European clothing walk along the waterfront. The inclusion of gas lamps, a Gothic-style church, and the specific silhouettes of the ships reflects the artist's attempt to capture the atmosphere of a foreign city. The print combines traditional Japanese woodblock techniques with an interest in Western perspective and subject matter.

While the depiction of England is largely imaginative, based on imported books and hearsay rather than direct observation, the work provides a view into the Japanese perception of the West during the mid-nineteenth century. The colour palette relies on the characteristic pigments of the era, including Prussian blue and various mineral-based dyes. The figures are rendered with the stylised elegance typical of the Utagawa school, yet they are placed within an environment that attempts to mimic European architecture and fashion. This print is a record of the cultural exchange and the fascination with foreign modernity that defined the early years of the Meiji Restoration period.