The Death of Murata Sansuke 1877

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi produced this woodblock print of "The Death of Murata Sansuke" in nineteenth-century Japan. The process begins with the artist’s design, then carvers transfer that design onto woodblocks, one for each color. The woodblocks are used to make the image on paper, through a laborious process of inking and hand-pressing. Each color is printed in turn, building up the image. Look closely, and you'll see how the texture of the wood grain subtly affects the printed surface. The lines are sharp and the colors are bold, which suggests that the blocks were expertly carved. In this print, we see a clash between traditional samurai warriors and more modern, Western-style soldiers. The printmaking process itself reflects this tension – an old craft, used to depict a new, tumultuous era of warfare and social upheaval. Consider the labor involved, and its place in the political landscape of the time. This was a time of huge shifts in the economy and social classes, which saw traditional crafts struggling to survive. So, next time you look at a print, remember the hands that made it, and the context from which it emerged.