Black barbarian and Nanking lady in Gaikoku jinbutsu zukushi series Drawn by Yoshitora, text by Kanagaki Robun Printed by Wakayo in March or April 1861 Yosha Bunko scan

The woodblock print to the right was part of a series of depictions of people from other countries drawn by Yoshitora. Prints in the series bear approval seals dated the last month of Man'en and the first several months of Bunkyū on Japan's lunar calendar, which corresponds to the first half of 1861 on the Gregorian solar calendar.

The opening of the ports and the arrival of thousands of people from other lands spawned the production of numerous wookblock prints portraying foreigners of different nationalities and scenes of life in the treaty ports. Practically all established artists and disciples drew such prints for local publishing houses, which employed the carvers who chiseled the blocks and the printers who made paper impressions from pigmented blocks. The printing houses owned the blocks and directly sold or distributed the prints. The drawers, like the carvers and printers, were generally hired hands.

Prints associated with Yokohama are called "Yokohama-e" (横浜絵), but print dealers commonly use the term to include all prints which depict foreigners and their lives in late Edo and early Meiji Japan. "Nagasaka-e" (長崎絵) generally refers more specifically to prints and paintings associated with Nagasaki before the opening of treaty ports, when Japan limited trade to mostly Dutch and Chinese vessels in Nagasaki, which had separate quarters for Dutch and Chinese.

Treaties of amity and commerce with the United States and four other countries -- Holland, Russia, Great Britain, and France -- were signed in this order in 1858. The treaties provided for the opening of treaty ports with extraterritorial foreign settlements in Kanagawa (Yokohama) and Nagasaki on 4 July 1859. Treaty ports and settlements were opened in Niigata on 1 January 1860 and Hyōgo (Kōbe) on 1 January 1863.

An earlier treaty with Russia in 1855 established ports and settlements in Shimoda and Hakodate in 1855. But the Shimoda port and settlement were closed in 1859 when provisions were made for foreign embassies to operate out of a settlement in Edo, later Tokyo.

The foreign settlements in the treaty ports accommodated both the consulates of the foreign party states and the homes and businesses of their resident affiliates. Hakodate, with more space and fewer people, provided several locations for Russian and American legations, residences, churches, and businesses.

Title cartouches

The cartouche enclosing the main title represents the 2nd of at least 3 stages of cartouche designs. 1st-stage prints have an elaborate furled and curled cartouche that shows both the main series title (ge 外題 outer title) and the thematic subtitles (naidai 内題 inner title). The subtitles of "gaikoku jinbutsu" genre prints, which depicted people from foreign countries, were generally the country identifications of the people. 2nd-stage prints typically feature a simpler curled or flat cartouche that shows only the series title. 3rd-stage prints show series and identity titles without cartouches.

Prints of the last 2 stages, possibly beginning with this print, have story texts, all of which are unsigned -- with the exception of this one, which is attributed to Kanagaki Robun (仮名垣魯文), the penname of Nozaki Bunzō (野崎文蔵 1829-1894), a late-Edo and Meiji popular story writer (gesakusha 戯作者) and news reporter. This print is also the only in the group that shows the publisher's name as "Wakayo" rather than "Shiba Wakayo".

Story

Print particulars

外國人物盡
Gaikoku jinbutsu zukushi
[ Outland people of all kinds ]
Various people from other countries

黒夷 / 南京婦人
Kokui / Nankin fujin
[ Black barbarian / Nanking lady ]
Black man / Chinese lady

Drawn by Yoshitora (芳虎)
Signature "Yoshitora ga" (芳虎画)
Story by Kanagaki Robun (仮名垣魯文)
Published and printed by Wakayo (若與)
Aratame seal "Tori 2" (Bunkyū 2) = March/April 1861

See Gaikoku jinbutsu zukushi (外國人物盡) for information about the series and other prints in the series.