Japanese Illustrated Books

Ehon sumidagawa ryogan ichiran, vol 2, Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849), Japan, Edo period, ca. 1805. Woodblock printed, ink and color on paper, paper covers. All images: The Gerhard Pulverer Collection of Japanese illustrated books, photos copyright the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian. 

Japanese woodblock-printed illustrated books (ehon) brought reading to the masses during the Edo period (1615-1868). Artists and writers created a range of designs for these books and the compact, paper-bound volumes circulated widely. 

Selections from the Gerhard Pulverer Collection of ehon, one of the premier collections outside of Japan, will be on view in the exhibition Hand-Held: Gerhard Pulverer's Japanese Illustrated Books at the Smithsonian's Arthur M. Sackler Gallery in Washington, DC from April 6-August 11. Volumes exhibited cover several genres--design, crafts, literature, botany, travel, nature studies, scholarly texts, and poetry.

Above, Panoramic Views along the Banks of Sumida River, a woodblock print series of colorful works by Katsushika Hokusai, a well-known artist who studied Japanese, Chinese and European artistic traditions. Hokusai produced images as a print designer, book illustrator and painter, often incorporating striking landscapes into commissioned woodblock prints and books. 

"His genius is really about that remarkable combination of observation of natural phenomena and meticulous attention to arrangement of pattern and color that can't be seen in the work of any other artist in Japan during his time," says Ann Yonemura, associate curator of Japanese art at the Freer and Sackler Galleries.  

Ichiro gafu, Yashima Gakutei (active 1815-1830's), Japan, Edo period. Woodblock printed, ink and color on paper. 

Ichiro's Picture-Album, a woodblock-printed book of drawings of landscapes with figures by Ichiro, a studio name of printmaker, painter and draughtsman Yashima Gakutei. This book includes "kyoka" poems; text and images are created on the same woodblocks. 

Ehon kyoka yama mata yama, Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849), Japan, Edo period, 1804. Woodblock printed, ink and color on paper. 

Mountain after Mountain, a kyoka poem-picture book by Hokusai depicting scenes in and around Edo (Tokyo). In the 1790s and early 1800s, Hokusai often produced images for poetry clubs, illustrating albums and prints showcasing poems. 

Kyoto meisho ehon miyako no nishiki, Kitao Masayoshi (1764-1824), Japan, Edo period, ca. 1787. Woodblock printed, ink and color on paper, added silk hardcover. 

Famous Places of Kyoto, a picture book by Kitao Masayoshi, an artist who produced novelette illustrations, paintings and printed albums. A volume of landscape prints that border between picture and map, combining symbolic and realistic elements. In the Edo period, people increasingly traveled to see famous places and historical sites and these types of picture books served as souvenirs. 

Toto shokei ichiran, Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849), Japan, Edo period, 1800. Woodblock printed, ink and color on paper, paper covers. 

Fine Views of Eastern Capital at Glance by Hokusai, a volume depicting the sights of Edo. Print shown--Theater Street, an image of the Japanese Kabuki theater. 

"Through books, all of Japanese society could learn about culture, literature, science, religion, and distant places even through foreign contact was rare," says Yonemura. "Illustrated books were not only a source of information, but an important medium of artistic expression and entertainment that continues today." 

Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, 1050 Independence Avenue S.W., Washington, DC.