{"product_id":"1888-nagoya-garrison-military-drill-at-nagoya-castle-meiji-modernization-woodblock-print-by-hirokuni-25x37cm","title":"1888 Nagoya Garrison Military Drill at Nagoya Castle – Meiji Modernization Woodblock Print by Hirokuni (25X37CM)","description":"\u003cp data-start=\"117\" data-end=\"385\"\u003eVery good condition overall. There is no insect or water damage, and the colors remain exceptionally vivid with sharp, well-preserved linework. The print has some creasing from long-term storage, but these do not detract from the overall appearance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"387\" data-end=\"681\"\u003eParticularly noteworthy is the paper itself. Unlike many Meiji-period prints, which were often produced on inexpensive machine-made paper, this example was printed on traditional washi paper, a rarer and more desirable feature that adds to both its aesthetic appeal and historical significance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"683\" data-end=\"1011\"\u003eThis original Meiji-period woodblock print is titled \u003cem data-start=\"736\" data-end=\"765\"\u003eNagoya Chindai Renpei no Zu\u003c\/em\u003e (名古屋鎮台練兵之図, \"Illustration of Military Drill at Nagoya Garrison\"). It was designed by the artist Hirokuni (廣国), who signed the work \u003cem data-start=\"897\" data-end=\"906\"\u003eGyōshun\u003c\/em\u003e (尭春), and published in September 1888 (Meiji 21) by Kimura Shigeyasu of the publishing house Gyokusendō.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1013\" data-end=\"1316\"\u003eThe print depicts the \u003cem data-start=\"1035\" data-end=\"1051\"\u003eNagoya Chindai\u003c\/em\u003e, the Nagoya Garrison of the early Imperial Japanese Army. In the very year this print was published, the garrison was reorganized into the celebrated Imperial Third Division, making the work a contemporary record of an important moment in Japan's military history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1318\" data-end=\"1716\"\u003eDominating the background is \u003cspan class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"whitespace-normal\"\u003eNagoya Castle\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e. During the Meiji period, the castle grounds were occupied by the military, and sections of the former feudal palace complex were converted into barracks and parade grounds. The image therefore captures a remarkable moment in Japanese history, when symbols of the samurai era were being repurposed to serve the modern nation-state.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1718\" data-end=\"1974\"\u003eThe dramatic red sky is characteristic of Meiji \u003cem data-start=\"1766\" data-end=\"1773\"\u003eaka-e\u003c\/em\u003e (\"red prints\"), which made extensive use of newly imported synthetic aniline pigments from the West. These brilliant colors became visual symbols of progress, industrialization, and national strength.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1976\" data-end=\"2268\"\u003eThe composition also highlights the striking fusion of old and new that defined early Meiji Japan. Soldiers march in disciplined Western formations, wearing French-inspired military uniforms with brass buttons, caps, and trumpets, while behind them stands one of Japan's great feudal castles.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2270\" data-end=\"2426\"\u003eAs both a work of art and a historical document, the print vividly records Japan's rapid transformation from a samurai society into a modern military power.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2428\" data-end=\"2604\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\"\u003eA superb and well-preserved example of Meiji military ukiyo-e, suitable for collectors of Japanese military history, modernization prints, and nineteenth-century woodblock art.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Echoes of Edo","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48379938078979,"sku":null,"price":4000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0811\/5965\/1587\/files\/IMG_5545.jpg?v=1781437849","url":"https:\/\/echoesofedo.com\/products\/1888-nagoya-garrison-military-drill-at-nagoya-castle-meiji-modernization-woodblock-print-by-hirokuni-25x37cm","provider":"Echoes of Edo","version":"1.0","type":"link"}