57 Chikanobu Yōshū 1838 – 1912 Mirror of Ages: The Meiji Era

publisher: Matsuki Heikichi

A sheet from the final series Jidai kagami (“Mirror of the Ages”), depicting a beauty of the Meiji period dressed in a richly patterned kimono with a dragon motif – a symbol of strength, renewal, and national pride. In the upper section, a festive scene with Japanese flags commemorates the promulgation of the Meiji Constitution (Meiji Kenpō) of 1898. Above the portrait rises a triumphal arch bearing the inscription Hōsaku banzai! – “Glory to abundance and creativity” (literally “Glory to the fruitful work”).

Chikanobu, one of the last great masters of the Utagawa school, combines here the traditional elegance of bijin-ga with the modern iconography of a new era. The print reflects Japan’s transformation at the turn of the 20th century – the nation’s entry into modernity, where aesthetics, the feminine ideal, and national symbolism merged into a confident visual language of the Meiji age.