Garyōbai Plum in Kameido 1895

Ogata Gekko's Garyōbai Plum in Kameido, a woodblock print triptych, offers a glimpse into Meiji-era Japan. The image presents a scene of two women in traditional attire navigating a snow-covered landscape, umbrellas in hand. It’s a tableau that speaks to the social fabric of its time. The Garyōbai plum garden was a popular site for Japanese tourists at this time and we may therefore assume that this image represents the leisure activities of the Japanese middle class at the beginning of the 20th Century. The Kameido plum garden was destroyed during World War II, reminding us that landscape and social activity are intertwined, and are both subject to constant historical change. Understanding this artwork fully requires us to consider its historical moment. Researching the social history of Meiji-era Japan, the cultural significance of plum blossoms, and the development of woodblock printing as an art form helps us contextualize the work. Art, after all, is always embedded in its specific time and place.