Minamoto Yoshimitsu Instructing Toyohara Tokiaki in Music 1879

This is a woodblock print by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, who was active in Japan in the late 19th century. He was working within a long tradition of ukiyo-e, which translates as ‘pictures of the floating world.’ The process involves a close collaboration between the artist, who designs the image, and highly skilled woodworkers, who carve the blocks. Each color you see here required a separate block, with the key lines of the design established first and then the other colors carefully aligned. The success of this method depended on the stability of the paper, the precision of the carving, and the deftness of the printer. Woodblock prints were a commercial medium. They speak of the organization of labor, the division of creative and technical skills, and the popular market that gave them such wide distribution. Yoshitoshi didn’t just inherit this tradition, he extended it. He’s an artist who really understood the value of craft as a means of cultural expression.