History of Kamakura 19th century

Kubo Shunman created this woodblock print, "History of Kamakura," sometime between 1775 and 1820. It depicts three children playing; the print itself is not especially remarkable. However, the fact that Shunman chose this subject matter tells us a lot about the culture from which it emerged. In Japan, the Edo period was marked by relative peace and prosperity after centuries of internal conflict. The merchant class gained prominence and demanded its own forms of cultural expression. Artists began producing ukiyo-e, or "pictures of the floating world," celebrating everyday life. Shunman's print is part of a larger trend of artists responding to new markets, new institutions, and new forms of patronage. Historians use a range of resources to better understand the social and cultural dynamics that shaped artistic production in this time.