Veerboot bij de pleisterplaats Zeze 1863

Toyohara Kunichika produced this woodblock print, Veerboot bij de pleisterplaats Zeze, in nineteenth-century Japan. Kunichika, trained in the Utagawa school, was deeply versed in the demanding techniques required to produce these images. The process began with the artist’s initial design. Skilled woodcarvers then transferred the image onto cherry wood blocks, creating a separate block for each color. Finally, printers applied pigments to the blocks, layering them to create the final image. The print's visual language underscores the labor involved in its creation, capturing a moment of transition, as people board a ferry. The scene encapsulates the journey and movement of ordinary people and reminds us of the skilled hands that brought it to life. Woodblock prints like this one played a vital role in disseminating art and culture to a broader audience during the Edo period, and reminds us that materials, making, and context are crucial to fully appreciate its significance.