The Pupils of Uji Jōetsu Practicing Fencing 1864

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi made this woodblock print depicting a fencing dojo in 19th century Japan. In this era, woodblock prints were far more than simple reproductions. They involved a collaboration between the artist, who designed the image, the carver, who translated that design into a series of woodblocks, and the printer, who applied ink and pressure to create the final image. The visual impact of this print is the result of a division of labor, from the selection and preparation of wood to the precise registration of colors, each impression is imbued with the expertise of specialized artisans. Look closely, and you can almost feel the physicality of the process – the grain of the wood, the texture of the paper, and the subtle variations in color that speak to the hand-made quality of each print. Ultimately, this print invites us to consider the social dimensions of artmaking, where the labor of many hands contributes to a single, compelling image.