Fukuchi Gen'ichirō, from the series Instructive Models of Lofty Ambition (Kyōdō risshi motoi) Possibly 1885

Curator: This woodblock print by Kobayashi Kiyochika, titled "Fukuchi Gen'ichirō, from the series Instructive Models of Lofty Ambition," presents a man in Western attire against a backdrop of marching figures. I find the contrast quite striking. Editor: Indeed, the juxtaposition is immediate. The figure’s confident pose and Western clothing position him as modern and individualistic, sharply contrasted against the stoic soldiers that are marching into an apparent unknown. It raises questions about power, representation, and historical progress. Curator: Kiyochika created these works during a time of significant Westernization in Japan. Fukuchi Gen'ichirō was a prominent journalist and playwright who advocated for modernization. The print likely aims to portray him as a model of ambition during this transformative period. Editor: The artist's choice to depict Fukuchi with symbols of modernity – Western clothing, the pen, and the paper – clearly positions him within the narrative of progress and societal change. It seems to ask, "Whose ambition gets celebrated, and at what cost?" Curator: Precisely. It prompts reflection on the complexities of cultural exchange and the construction of national identity during the Meiji era. Editor: It has certainly given me a new lens through which to understand the period’s ambitions.