Tokyo, Birth of a Modern City. Prints from the 1920s and 1930s from the Edo-Tokyo Museum

Wednesday, January 22, 2025: guided tour of the exhibition at the Maison de la Culture du Japon.

This exhibition aims to trace the history of the birth of modern Tokyo, from the beginning of the Meiji era (1868-1912) to the beginning of the Shōwa era (1926-1989), in other words, until the Second World War. It highlights the evolution of the city, its gradual modernization, as well as the way in which this modernity was perceived and received within the archipelago. To tell this story, the Maison de la Culture du Japon, in collaboration with the Edo-Tokyo Museum — the city's historical museum — has chosen to present this transformation through prints, drawing on the perspectives of artists who worked from the end of the 19th century^rd century until the post-war period.

Among these artists, Kobayashi Kiyochika (1847-1915) occupies an essential place. A designer active at the end of the 19th^rd century, during the Meiji era, he was one of the first to depict the urban upheavals brought about by the rapid modernization of Japan. Industrialization, which accompanied the opening of the archipelago to the West, profoundly transformed the landscape of Tokyo. These artists, who had traveled through and depicted the old Edo, then sought to bear witness to the changes taking place. An emblematic work by Kobayashi Kiyochika that bears witness to these early changes is Kaiun Bridge and the First Bank under the snow Made in 1876. At first glance, this print appears to be part of a classical tradition. However, one detail catches the eye: the presence of Japan's first bank, a building that blends Japanese and Western architectural elements, symbolizing the dawn of modernity. Another clue to this transformation is visible on the umbrella carried by a woman in the foreground, where the inscription Ginza can be read. This district, already well-known at the time, saw its streets transformed, and the inscription here becomes a veritable advertisement, inviting passersby to come and discover the new shops in the area.

Kaiun Bridge and the First Bank under the Snow. Kobayashi Kiyochika. . Nishiki-e print. 1876.

View of Ushimachi in Takanawa under a veiled moon. Kobayashi Kiyochika. Nishiki-e print. 1879.

These early visual testimonies of Japan's modernization resonate particularly well with the artistic developments of the following period: the Taishō era (1912–1926), often considered a true Japanese "belle époque." This period was distinguished by the establishment of significant democratic foundations, increased economic openness to the outside world, and a strong desire to promote Japanese culture beyond its borders.

During these fourteen years, the country underwent a profound transformation, reflected in its artistic production. Printmaking, in particular, became a medium for dialogue between tradition and foreign influences. Japanese artists were widely open to new developments from abroad: they traveled to Europe, particularly France and Germany, and introduced new techniques to the archipelago in the 1880s, such as lithography, etching, pastel, and oil painting.

It is in this context that the movement emerged yoga (Western painting) designating Japanese artists working in the manner of Westerners, both technically and thematically. From the 1890s to the 1900s, some of them drew inspiration from the Impressionists, thus illustrating the growing porosity between European and Japanese artistic movements. However, this openness also gave rise to a form of concern: that of a progressive erasure of national artistic traditions. In reaction, artists continued to produce works according to the classical canons of nihonga (Japanese painting), claiming a resolutely Japanese aesthetic.

In the field of printmaking, this tension between tradition and modernity materializes through the formation of two major currents: the shin hanga (new print), which renews the genre while preserving its traditional spirit, and the sosaku-hanga (creative printing), which revolutionizes production methods.

In the workshops shin hanga, the process remains collective: the designer, the engraver and the editor each retain their role, according to an organization close to that of theukiyo-e (image of the floating world). Conversely, the artists of the sosaku-hanga claim complete autonomy over their work: they draw, engrave and print their own prints. A notable example is Tobari Kogan (1882-1927), who produces his own plates, from drawing to engraving.

Twelve Months in Tokyo: Evening Snow at the Sanjikken Canal. Kawase Hasui. Woodblock print. 1920.

Twelve Months in Tokyo: An Afternoon at Ninohashi Bridge in Azabu. Kawase Hasui. Woodblock print. 1921.

Alleys of Aasakusa (HANGA, vol. 1, no. 1). Koizumi Kishio. Woodblock print. 1921.

Among the major figures of the shin hanga Kawase Hasui (1883-1957) stands out, whose career extended into the 1950s. He collaborated with Watanabe Shōzaburō (1885-1962), an emblematic publisher of this movement, who played a central role in the dissemination of prints shin hanga. Hasui Kawase's work is strongly linked to the tradition ofukiyo-e, both in its subjects (landscapes, urban scenes, architecture, daily life in Tokyo districts) and in its vision deeply rooted in Japanese aesthetics. However, a major difference lies in the use of color: the introduction of Western synthetic pigments allows for the exploration of a new chromatic palette, further reinforcing this dialogue between tradition and modernity.

A true view of the Kanzeon temple in Asakusa surrounded by a violent fire. Lithograph. October 20, 1923. Publisher: Urashimadô-gakyoku.

Ruinscapes after the Tokyo Earthquake: Wadakura-mon Gate. Hiratsuka Un'Ichi. Woodblock print. 1923.

In this dynamic of artistic and urban transformation, a major event marks a decisive turning point in the history of Tokyo: the great earthquake in the Kantō region, which occurred on 1^er September 1923. The first tremors were felt at 11:58 a.m., at a critical moment: fireplaces were lit to prepare lunch, which caused a fire of considerable magnitude, ravaging entire neighborhoods, already weakened by the earthquake.

Some artists of the time would seize upon this tragedy to document, bear witness to and sublimate the reconstruction of Tokyo. The engraver Hiratsuka Un'ichi (1895-1997), a figure of the sosaku-hanga, lived in a neighborhood spared by the flames. This privileged position allowed him to travel around the devastated city and produce a series of twelve prints in which he adopted a thicker line, conveying the gravity of the moment.

Following this disaster, Tokyo entered a phase of intense urbanization. The population migrated en masse to the suburbs, and the city, previously composed of around ten wards, expanded to include 35, shaping the contours of contemporary Greater Tokyo. The municipal authorities and the state embarked on an ambitious reconstruction policy, focusing their efforts on the disaster areas but also on modernizing infrastructure, particularly the railway network. It was in this context that the now iconic Yamanote Line was created, serving key districts such as Shibuya, Ginza, and Asakusa.

One Hundred Views of Greater Tokyo in the Showa Era: The Senju Gasometers. Koizumi Kishio. Woodblock print. 1930.

One Hundred Views of Greater Tokyo: May – Ginza at Night. Fujimori Shizuo. Woodblock print. 1933.

Four Women: Autumn. Yamakawa Shûhô. Woodblock print. 1927.

This profound transformation not only disrupted urban planning and the spatial organization of the city. While some artists continued to represent landscapes according to traditional codes, others fully embraced a new aesthetic, influenced by European movements. This is the case of Koizumi Kishio (1893-1945), artist sosaku-hanga, which draws its inspiration from the Bauhaus, the famous school of architecture and applied arts founded at the beginning of the 20th century^rd century in Germany. In Koizumi Kishio's work, this modernity is manifested not only in the composition, but also in a palette of light and pale colors, evoking a refined and resolutely forward-looking outlook.

With Tokyo's expansion and gradual industrialization, the transformations of the territory also responded to practical challenges. Among these were the recurring floods of the Sumida River, which factory owners regularly complained about. Taking advantage of major development projects related to the city's modernization, the authorities installed a dam on the river.

From the 1920s and 1930s, this great and changing Tokyo became a real object of study. The theorist Kon Wajirō (1888-1973), a pioneer in the analysis of urban forms and social behaviors, devoted his research to the evolution of the city, its neighborhoods, but above all to the daily lives of its inhabitants. He observed the emergence of new social categories, such as that of the salary man, this office worker who adopts the Western-style suit, symbolizing a modern and globalized identity. In the extension of this reflection, Kon Wajirō is also interested in women's fashion, in the way in which young Tokyoites adopt or transform this modernity in their appearance, revealing a society in full cultural hybridization.

In this Tokyo between the two wars, a dynamic and visible youth fully embodies this modernity: the can (modern girls) and the mobo (modern boys), young people in their twenties, dressed in Western clothes, who liven up the streets of busy districts like Ginza or Shibuya. However, Kon Wajirō's observations nuance this image: only 1% of young women actually wore Western clothing. For the vast majority who continue to wear the kimono, modernity is expressed rather through the choice of colors and patterns.

The artist Yamakawa Shūhō (1898-1944) provides an eloquent illustration of this with his woodcut. Four Women: Autumn. We see a young woman sporting the fashionable hairstyle known as rajio-maki (radio rolls), made of braids wrapped around the ears, evoking a radio headset. His garment, a Haori with playing card motifs, demonstrates a taste for eccentricity and graphic innovation. Heavily influenced by the Art Deco style, many richly decorated kimonos then appeared in urban fashion, testifying to a subtle dialogue between sartorial tradition and international aesthetics.

One Hundred Views of New Tokyo. Maekawa Senpan. Woodblock print. 1929.

Sapporo Beer – Golf Player. Publisher: Dainippon Brewery Company Ltd. 1939. Fujii Printing.

Asakusa at Night. Ishiwata Koitsu. Woodblock print. 1932.

Alongside the transformations in clothing, urban culture as a whole is being reinvented. The Westernization of cafes, restaurants, and cinemas has been accompanied by a profound transformation of leisure activities in Japan. Among the imported activities, baseball, introduced to the archipelago, quickly won over the population.

After the war, the production of prints, whether of the type sosaku-hanga ou shin hanga, tends to gradually die out, these forms being no longer in fashion. A deep respect for tradition nevertheless remains, as evidenced by the opening of museums devoted to prints, such as the Hiroshige Museum in Tokyo. Some artists, like Hasui Kawase, continue to create shin hanga until the end of their careers. However, the younger generation is increasingly less committed to this path. Young Japanese artists are moving towards more conceptual approaches, exploring pop art and other contemporary forms of creation, thus giving birth to new artistic movements, such as the movement Monkey-ha. (School of things).

Léa Servon