Advancing across the Ansong River at the Battle of Asan by Matsuki Heikichi
Our Naval Forces in the Yellow Sea Firing at And Sinking Chinese Warships by Matsuki Heikichi
Our Naval Forces in the Yellow Sea Firing at And Sinking Chinese Warships by Matsuki Heikichi
Braving the Bitter Cold, Our Troops Set Up Camp at Yingkou by Matsuki Heikichi
Braving the Bitter Cold, Our Troops Set Up Camp at Yingkou by Matsuki Heikichi
Great Victory of Our Forces at the Battle of the Yellow Sea, Fourth Illustration by Matsuki Heikichi
Great Victory of Our Forces at the Battle of the Yellow Sea, Fourth Illustration by Matsuki Heikichi
Great Victory of Our Forces at the Battle of the Yellow Sea, Fourth Illustration by Matsuki Heikichi

Matsuki Heikichi

The Matsuki Heikichi publishing firm, known by the shop name Daikokuya, operated for over 150 years across five generations. While many ukiyo-e publishers focused solely on prints, this firm began as a book publisher in 1764. They treated woodblock prints as a secondary venture for several decades. The firm survived the death of its founder in 1825 under unrecorded leadership before his son officially took over in 1854. This continuity allowed the firm to bridge the transition from the feudal Edo period to the modern Meiji era.

Shop prints

Biography

The firm worked with famous artists of the Utagawa school, including Kunisada and Kuniyoshi. They produced subjects such as kabuki actors and historical warriors. In the 1840s, they expanded their output to include landscape series and perspective prints. The Matsuki family maintained a steady presence in the market. They later published the work of Kobayashi Kiyochika, whose prints used light and shadow in ways that moved away from traditional flat colours.

Modern collectors value these prints for their historical breadth and technical consistency. The works represent a period when Japanese art began to incorporate Western techniques while maintaining traditional woodblock methods. Because the firm operated for so long, their catalogue offers a visual history of changing Japanese tastes. These prints provide a direct connection to the Ryogoku district, which was a centre of popular culture in old Tokyo.

Notable Works

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is Matsuki Heikichi known for?
    Matsuki Heikichi is known for matsuki Heikichi was a long-running Japanese publisher who produced woodblock prints by Utagawa artists and Kobayashi Kiyochika across five generations from 1764 to 1931.

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