top of page

Absence of Originality – Reproduction of 19C Japanese Graphic Arts

On November 16th, I attended the 110th International ARC Seminar organised by Ritsumeikan University in Japan. The seminar’s theme was ‘After native drawings: the books that introduced Nishiki-e and Ehon to Western audiences: Narrative of the Earl of Elgin’s Mission to China and Japan (1859) and Japanese Fragments (1861)’, which was led by Dr Ellis Tinios of the University of Leeds. He presented two books, published in the mid-nineteenth century in England, that were introduced as facsimiles of Japanese graphic arts: Narrative of the Earl of Elgin's Mission to China and Japan in the years 1857, ’58, ’59 (1859) by Laurence Oliphant*① and Japanese Fragments with Facsimiles of Illustrations by Artists of Yedo (1861) by Sherard Osborn*②.


By analysing the depiction seen in reproduced pieces of Nishiki-e (錦絵)*③ and the pages from Ehon (絵本, ‘Japanese picture books’) seen in these publications, Dr Ellis explored how visual images were translated and disseminated to Western readers in the process of being reproduced in the early nineteenth century. He noted factors that made a difference in the illustrations, such as a lack of understanding of Japanese culture and painting materials, the Western view of Japan as a foreign country, and the fact that oil paintings are highly valued in Western standards for evaluating painting materials. As for these books made by travellers based on Japanese prints, Watanabe also argues that while books based on Japanese prints by travellers have expanded access to Japanese art in the West, their great curiosity has westernised artistic expression, making it difficult to say that they represent what they were originally intended to be.[2]





Furthermore, it is notable that the publications were primarily intended to serve as ethnographic records rather than art historical imitations. Laurence visited Japan in 1858 and was involved in the signing of the Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Amity and Commerce. His book compiled an account of his experience during his stay in Japan. According to Taylor and Kita, he had desired to see parts of the East and Asia that he had yet to visit before his publication.[3] Sherard’s book was also designed to record geography, Japanese and Japanese diplomatic history, religion, and a journey summary.[4] Watanabe points out that Japanese art and its illustrations in that decade were mainly described from an ethnographic perspective to depict the differences in lifestyle.[5] Their images were constructed based on their brief diplomatic stay in Japan and their observations of an unfamiliar culture. Therefore, their view of Japan depicted in the illustrations was a mixture of imagination and reality.

This seminar provided insight into the complex factors that result in a lack of originality when cultural objects are reinterpreted in domains outside the original culture. It was also a great opportunity to realise the significance of understanding the context behind the production when addressing representation issues in a transcultural realm.





Notes:

*① Laurence Oliphant (1829 - 1888) was a writer, traveller, and diplomat, who accompanied Count Elgin to China as his secretary throughout the Arrow War (1856 - 1860).


*② Sherard Osborn (1822 - 1875) was the captain of the frigate Furious of Lord Elgin’s mission to Japan in 1858 to conclude the Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Amity and Commerce.


*③ Nishiki-e, ‘Japanese polychrome woodblock prints of the ukiyo-e school that were first made in 1765. The invention of the technique is attributed to Kinroku, and its greatest early master was Suzuki Harunobu’.[1]



Reference:

[1] ‘Nishiki-e’, Encyclopædia Britannica (Encyclopædia Britannica, inc.), accessed November 28, 2022, https://www.britannica.com/art/nishiki-e.

[2] Toshio Watanabe, ‘The Western Image of Japanese Art in the Late Edo Period’, Modern Asian Studies 18, no. 4 (1984): 671.

[3] Anne Taylor, Laurence Oliphant 1829 - 1888, Traveler・Writer・With・Secret・Angent ・Diplomat・Mythic・Entrepreneur (Oxford University Press, 1982), 34.

Masami Kita, ‘The Relationship between British (Scottish) Diplomat and Japan in Late 19th Century, on the Historical Role of Lawrence Oliphant’, The Soka Economic Studies Quarterly 42, no. 1-4 (2013): 4.

[4] Captain Sherard Osborn, ‘Abebooks’, by Osborn, Captain Sherard: Good (1861) | George C. Baxley (Bradbury and Evans, London, January 1, 1861), https://www.abebooks.co.uk/Japanese-Fragments-Facsimiles-Illustrations-Artists-Yedo/1008565768/bd.

[5] Watanabe, ‘The Western Image of Japanese Art in the Late Edo Period’, 667.



Related Links:

・Video: 110th International ARC Seminar Webinar: https://youtu.be/PuTcUrB1qYU.


bottom of page