12018-05-02T21:30:36-07:00Madeleine Zimmerman80238f9980ed20523570f72297d1400b8f08de6a302475image_header7287902018-05-04T02:55:58-07:00Madeleine Zimmerman80238f9980ed20523570f72297d1400b8f08de6aIn strong contrast with the serene countryside of Japan, most cityscapes were unsightly and dirty from the advance of industrialization. The industrial revolution, which had taken off at the beginning of the Meiji era, had the biggest impact on the cities where factories were built. Thousands of young men and women, most of whom were the children of poor farmers, moved to the cities to take advantage of new opportunities.[1] The population of Japan increased by nineteen million between 1888 and 1925, mainly due to growth in employment, higher wages, and agricultural developments.[2] However, as in most cities undergoing an industrial revolution, this rapid and overwhelming urbanization led to the decline of city services, causing cities to quickly become filthy. The melting pot of peoples and cultures also led to a dilution of unique local customs, cultures, and traditions. However, due to the popular Western market, most shin-hanga artists tended to depict Japanese cities in an idealized light, just as they did with their landscapes.
[1] Kendall Brown and Hollis Goodall-Cristante, Shin-hanga: New Prints in Modern Japan (Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1996), 16.
1media/Kawase Hasui – Mount Unzen.jpg2018-04-27T17:43:06-07:00Madeleine Zimmerman80238f9980ed20523570f72297d1400b8f08de6aSHIN-HANGA: VISIONS OF MODERN JAPANMadeleine Zimmerman10splash2018-05-04T02:48:55-07:00Madeleine Zimmerman80238f9980ed20523570f72297d1400b8f08de6a