Lecture at the Meiji Meeting Hall c. 1880

Curator: Adachi Ginkō's woodblock print, "Lecture at the Meiji Meeting Hall," offers a fascinating glimpse into Meiji-era Japan. Editor: It feels incredibly ordered, almost regimented, with the speaker positioned so far up. I am drawn to the texture of the woodblock. Curator: Absolutely, the print captures the shift in Meiji society towards modernization and enlightenment, but also the constraints that came with these new forms of social discourse. There is a gendered aspect to it. Editor: The rendering of the audience, the patterns of their clothing, all seem so carefully considered in the printmaking process itself. Are there visible impressions and textures in the original? Curator: Indeed. Think about the role of public discourse in shaping identity during that period. What does it mean to see and be seen in this space? Editor: So, it’s not just about the content of the lecture, but also about the act of assembly and the material means of producing this image for wider consumption. Curator: Precisely. It underscores how art disseminates particular social values. Editor: It leaves me pondering the accessibility of both the physical lecture and the print itself—who had access and who was excluded.