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A History of Dissent: Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861) as Agent of the Edokko Chonin

Kohlburn, Joseph Robert
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1242853913

Abstract Details

2009, MA, University of Cincinnati, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning : Art History.
In this thesis, I examine the oeuvre of Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861), a prolific woodblock print artist, in terms of its socio-political content. Primarily, I explore the ideological nuances of various subjects within his art, such as tattooed figures, comic images, and namazu-e (catfish pictures), to reveal the divergent histories of the upper and lower classes in Edo society. This body of work contains connotations that often indicate Kuniyoshi's dissent toward the Tokugawa government, and various other oppressive social institutions within his environment. Also, I detail particular historical events which loomed in the collective consciousness of Edo period Japanese townspeople. The Ansei Earthquake (1855) and the Tempō Reforms (1841-1843) both provided interesting stimuli to ukiyo-e artists like Kuniyoshi. This thesis emphasizes Kuninyoshi's interest in the plight of the townspeople, who were his main audience and at times the subjects of his art. By engaging Kuniyoshi's work with sociological, art-historical and anthropological data, I avoid the distortions that may arise from by a purely biographical approach to the artist's life.
Mikiko Hirayama, PhD (Committee Chair)
Kimberly Paice, PhD (Committee Member)
Teresa Pac, PhD (Committee Member)
168 p.
Art History
Utagawa Kuniyoshi; dissent; ukiyo-e; Ansei Earthquake; yose-e; woodblock print; Tokugawa; Edo; chonin

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Kohlburn, J. R. (2009). A History of Dissent: Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861) as Agent of the Edokko Chonin [Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1242853913

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Kohlburn, Joseph. A History of Dissent: Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861) as Agent of the Edokko Chonin. 2009. University of Cincinnati, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1242853913.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Kohlburn, Joseph. "A History of Dissent: Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861) as Agent of the Edokko Chonin." Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1242853913

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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This open access ETD is published by University of Cincinnati and OhioLINK.