The Layers of a Print: Reconstructing the Design Process of Early Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints from Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798-1861)

Woodblock printing in early modern Japan (1603-1868) functioned as a form of mass media that depended on the collaborative efforts of various social actors, including physical laborers, craftsmen, publishers and artists. This paper aims to reconstruct the process through which a simple preparatory sketch was transformed into a fully realized multi-colored print (nishiki-e), with a particular emphasis on the design process employed by the late Edo period (ca. 1800-1868) artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi and his studio of pupils. The reconstruction of Kuniyoshi’s design process is made possible by the extensive collection of his sketches and drawings preserved at the Wereldmuseum Leiden. Through a qualitative and systematic analysis of these materials, tracing stylistic and material developments, this study seeks to identify the sequential steps involved in the design process, ultimately revealing a more nuanced and layered process than previously scholarship proposed.

The significance of this research roots itself in the current gap of knowledge in early modern Japanese drawings, particularly that of preliminary sketches. While previous scholarship has extensively examined the collaborative relationships between publishers and artists, little attention has been devoted to the internal design process of woodblock printmakers in the last two decades. A key reason for the relative scarcity of studies focusing on drawings and their relationship to the design process lies in the absence of large collections of drawings by a single artist. The substantial body of sketches and drawings at the Wereldmuseum presents a unique opportunity to bridge this gap, contributing to a deeper understanding of artistic practice in the Edo period and stimulate further research on the design process of Japanese woodblock prints.

Steven Hoekstra recently graduated from a two-year Master’s degree in Japanese Studies from Leiden University, also holding a Bachelor’s degree with the same name. One year was spent at Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, to conduct field work and improve his Japanese language skills. He is currently writing his thesis for a second Master’s degree in Art History at the University of Amsterdam, continuing his specialization in 19th-century Japanese woodblock prints. In particular, his research focuses on reconstructing the design process of the woodblock artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi by analysing a large quantity of his drawings preserved at the Wereldmuseum Leiden. This study builds on his research as an intern at the Wereldmuseum Leiden.