Japanese Modernization Prints Collection (Yokohama-e and Kaika-e) in the Náprstek Museum

Abstract

This article deals with the collection of prints Yokohama-e and kaika-e, which are part of the collection of woodblock prints in the Náprstek Museum. The Yokohama-e and kaika-e woodblock prints were created in the second half of the 19th century in response to Japan’s changing politics, the arrival of foreigners, and the modernization of the country, thus capturing both the first introduction to Western innovations and the manner in which these subjects were presented to the public in Japan. The modernization prints in the Náprstek Museum have not yet been evaluated by scholars; the aim of this article is to provide information concerning this part of the woodblock print collection – the artists of the prints, the subjects depicted, and the question of the donors through whose agency the prints came into the museum’s possession.