Pomegranate, 2008. Hardcover. New hardcover in new dust jacket. Text is clean and free of marks or underlining. (9.25 x 0.75 x 8.25 inches) Includes full color art prints and bibliography. 128 pp.

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ISBN: 9780764946356

The reign of the Meiji emperor changed Japan forever an astonishing metamorphosis from backward feudal state to industrial and military juggernaut. No medium followed the vicissitudes of this dynamic period more revealingly than the popular prints made from carved wooden blocks. Heir to two centuries of very limited exposure to the outside world, Emperor Meiji who ruled from 1867 to 1912, presided over an era of trains, newspapers, and imperial aggrandizement that was recorded in hundreds of thousands of rapidly produced ukiyo-e, or woodblock prints.

The 109 prints featured in this book, all from the collection of the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, reflect the dramatic changes taking place in Meiji society. Subjects range fro personal appearance and fashion to architecture and transportation. Selected prints record the more dramatic events of the day: the national push toward "civilization and enlightenment," the wars with China and Russia. As intellectuals, capitalists, artists, and policy-makers turned toward America and Europe for models, a traditional Japanese art form persevered - until eclipsed by photography.

Barry Till, the author of Shin Hanga: The New Print Movement of Japan (Pomegranate) and The 47 Ronin: A Story of Samurai Loyalty and Courage (Pomegranate), provides a broad historical overview and an enlightening discussion of the prints and artists of the period, making Japan Awakens a must for anyone interested in Japanese culture.

Price: $28.95