Japan: 'Geisha Looks up at a Flying Cuckoo', woodblock print by Katsushika Taito II (active 1810-1853), 1822

Nishiki-e were a type of multi-coloured woodblock print from Japan. The technique was primarily used in ukiyo-e, and was invented in the 1760s. Before this woodblock prints were usually in black-and-white and were coloured either by hand or with the addition of one or two colour ink blocks, but nishiki-e printing changed that.

Nishiki-e was credited to an engraver named Kinroku, but it was popularised and perfected by Suzuki Harunobu. Nishiki-e is sometimes also known as Edo-e, and became very popular during the Meiji Period, especially during the first Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895), where over 3,000 prints were made in that 9-month period.

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Supplier: CPA Media Co. Ltd.

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Pictures From History