Published 1896, Boating (#7) belongs to Tales of Old Japan (Yamato Monogatari). The title invokes Japan’s classical tale tradition, in which courtly anecdotes, poems, legends, and exemplary episodes transmit cultural memory. Gekkō recasts such material through Meiji draftsmanship and printing while preserving the authority of an imagined classical past.
The title identifies the design’s particular figure, episode, object, or place, anchoring Gekkō’s composition in a larger network of historical narrative and cultural association. The catalog identifies boats, landscape, river, and women among the principal motifs. Gekkō uses their relationship to clarify action, season, setting, and narrative emphasis rather than treating them as interchangeable decoration.
Gekkō’s print style is noted for painterly contours, soft color transitions, and reserved paper, effects achieved through the collaborative disciplines of block carving and hand printing.
Additional information
| Editions | First Edition |
|---|---|
| Size | Oban |
| Subjects | boats, landscape, river, women |
| Year Published | 1896 |
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