A Mirror of Japan’s Nobility

August 8th, 1887

Not on view

This portrait of the imperial family shows the emperor and empress flanking eight-year-old Prince Haru, the emperor’s only living son, who reigned as Emperor Yoshihito from 1912 until his son Hirohito took over from his ailing father in 1921. Family portraits like this one were a form of propaganda aimed at demonstrating the emperor’s cultural authority as a modern head of state. They also resonated with the government’s efforts to encourage Westernization. Although the painting of cranes, pine trees, and plum trees in the background and the dragon vase at center are traditional works featuring highly auspicious images of East Asian origin, the family’s clothing, hairstyles, books, and furnishings are conspicuously European.

Artwork Details

楊洲周延画　「扶桑高貴鑑」
Title: A Mirror of Japan’s Nobility
Artist: Yōshū (Hashimoto) Chikanobu (Japanese, 1838–1912)
Period: Meiji period (1868–1912)
Date: August 8th, 1887
Culture: Japan
Medium: Triptych of woodblock prints (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
Dimensions: 14 3/4 x 29 5/8 in. (37.5 x 75.2 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Gift of Lincoln Kirstein, 1959
Object Number: JP3241a–c
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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The Inner Palace of Chiyoda (Chiyoda no Ōoku), Yōshū (Hashimoto) Chikanobu Japanese, Diptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper, Japan — The Inner Palace of Chiyoda (Chiyoda no Ōoku)
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