Collection of Humorous Leftovers (Kokkei zansai bukuro 滑稽残菜嚢) Possibly 1882

Kawanabe Kyōsai made this woodblock printed book, "Collection of Humorous Leftovers", in nineteenth-century Japan. The book presents caricatures of people going about their lives in Japanese society. Kyōsai lived through a period of rapid social and political change as Japan opened up to the west. Cartoons and humorous illustrations like those found in this book, were a popular form of social commentary. Look closely and you will notice the artist caricatures a range of social types. Notice, on the left page, the western man smoking a pipe. This gives us insight into how people were responding to foreign influence at the time. To get a deeper understanding of the context, one might want to research the history of ukiyo-e printing, the development of Japanese caricature, and the social history of the Edo and Meiji periods. Through this we can understand the role of art as a reflection of social change.