Utagawa Yoshifuji (Ipposai), "Americans on an Outing"

Beginning in the 1850s, the once-reclusive Japan saw an influx of foreigners from the West, many arriving through the newly opened port of Yokohama. Japanese artists documented these unfamiliar visitors and the rapidly changing world around them in a genre of prints known as yokohama-e.

Here, Yoshifuji depicts an American family on an outing, with their distinctive features and clothing rendered in a manner that reflects how Japanese artists of the period viewed these new foreign visitors. Particularly curious is the inscription Amerikajin, the Japanese term for “American person” or “American people.” The work offers a fascinating and rare glimpse into Japan’s first sustained encounters with the West and a society undergoing profound change.

Date: 1861
Size: Oban
Publisher: Soto
Condition: Excellent color and condition
Frame Shown: 16" x 24" x 1/2", Classic Wood, Ebony

Utagawa Yoshifuji (1828-1887) was a pupil of the great Edo-period artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi and is known for his inventive works depicting warriors and other folk heroes in Japanese history. He is also known for his works depicting the changes taking place during the Meiji-era.