Toyohara Chikanobu (1838-1912), Hanaguruma (Flower Carriage), from the triptych "Ladies of the Tokugawa Era," 1895

color woodcut, ink, paper, diptych, 37x50 cm (2 x 37x25 cm), artist's signature

Chikanobu Toyohara (also known as Chikanobu Yoshu) was born in Niigata Prefecture as Naoyoshi Hashimoto. He began his life as the son of a samurai in the service of the Sakakibara clan. During the Meiji Restoration, he joined the shogitai, an elite brigade of samurai in direct support of the waning Tokugawa shogunate, and fought bravely at the Battle of Ueno in 1868.Although he was captured in the battle, he emerged unscathed. After the fall of the shogunate, Chikanobu focused on his artistic career.

Although trained from an early age in painting of the Kano school, Chikanobu turned his attention to ukiyo-e around 1852.He began his career as a printmaker under the tutelage of Utagawa school masters Kuniyoshi, Kunisada and Kunichika. Like many of his contemporaries, he worked as both a newspaper illustrator and printmaker. By 1871, he had become a leading and most influential designer. He created images of kabuki actors, beautiful women in colorful kimonos, battle scenes and historical scenes. In the 1870s. Chikanobu captured the rapid modernization of Meiji Japan through kaika-e, or "enlightenment paintings." Adapting to current events and public tastes, he created designs for the Satsuma rebellion of 1877, the unfortunate uprising against the Meiji government, and the Imo incident in Korea in 1882.Chikanobu reflected the changing world not only through subject matter, but also through technique. Using the purples and reds of imported aniline dyes, he achieved an element of subtlety and sophistication rarely seen in the Meiji era. In the 1880s, a wave of national nostalgia for Japan's past sparked designs exploring traditional Japanese culture, values and heroes. Through an exploration of female beauty, Chikanobu Toyohara embodied moments from Japanese history through fashion, manners and customs.