Konda Teihachirō Tadakazu and Makara Jūrōzaemon Naozumi Grappling by the Water 1866

This woodblock print of two wrestlers locked in combat was created by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi in nineteenth-century Japan. Look closely and you will see it is made up of multiple blocks, each carefully carved with different parts of the image and then inked with various colors. This complex process required expert artisans, and a highly organized workshop. Consider how Yoshitoshi played with color and texture to create depth, motion, and emotion. The smooth, flat planes of the background create a vivid contrast to the dynamic figures in the foreground. The armor is rendered meticulously, showing the skilled labor required to create traditional garments. The scene is full of tiny visual clues as to what it was like to live at the time, and the labor that went into it. Think about what this print tells us about the culture of its time, the economic conditions that made its production possible, and the artistic traditions that Yoshitoshi drew upon. In doing so, we gain a deeper understanding of the print, and the broader world it reflects.