Kaika Sanjuroku Kaiseki (Thirty-six Modern Restaurants)
1877
19th century
13 3/8 in. x 9 in. (33.97 cm x 22.86 cm)
Toyohara Kunichika,
Japanese,
(1835–1900)
Object Type:
Prints
Creation Place:
Asia, Japan
Medium and Support:
color woodblock print on paper
Credit Line:
Carleton College Art Collection, gift of Yale Pfoutz
Accession Number:
2000.005
Toyohara Kunichika was, with the exception of Yoshitoshi, the most celebrated printmaker of the Meiji era (1868-1912). The foremost student of Kunisada, Kunichika was best known for his portrayals of kabuki actors and historical scenes. Here, in one of his lesser known print series, he depicts the exterior of a fashionable, contemporary Tokyo restaurant with a couple walking in snow in the foreground. Kunichika was an innovator in the use of western synthetic pigments which introduced a new, stronger palette to Japanese artists.