Portraits of the generations of the Tokugawa clan 1878

Curator: Wow, this is busy. And dark. It’s like everyone is posing for a really important, if slightly gloomy, family photo. Editor: Well, in a way, they are. This woodblock print from 1878 is entitled "Portraits of the Generations of the Tokugawa Clan" and it’s by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi. What strikes you about that darkness? Curator: The somber color palette. And the faces, some appear almost mournful. I sense a weight of history pressing down. Is it meant to feel…regretful? Editor: It could be. It was created not long after the end of the Tokugawa shogunate. What we are seeing is the transition from feudal to modern Japan, a transition marked by periods of conflict and uncertainty, reflected perhaps in this composite portrait of successive shoguns. Curator: A group portrait... interesting decision. And a way of honoring them, I suppose? But the composition feels…scattered. All those figures crammed together and framed by those oddly placed red banners. Editor: Well, let’s remember that Yoshitoshi was working during the Meiji Restoration. The new government actively promoted Westernization. He seems to explore tensions arising from the disruption of established hierarchies. I’d guess that the arrangement mirrors those societal ruptures. The banners, or rather the text on the banners, indicates each Shogun’s name. Curator: So the figures feel displaced, which is, ironically, part of its appeal. I like that the piece embodies that moment of friction in Japanese history. I’d love to hear more about the Meiji Restoration; that sounds fascinating, Editor: It is. To understand this image fully, one has to understand the profound impact this socio-political movement had. I am fascinated with how history is rendered within artworks of this period. It allows for deep conversations regarding class and cultural anxiety during these critical historical periods. Curator: Exactly! Maybe what I'm sensing in the gloominess is simply… change. The bittersweet pain of leaving something behind and the uncertainty of what's coming next. That is so clear in this artwork. Thanks.