About the Nagoya TV Ukiyo-e Collection日本語
How this collection came to be
Nagoya TV has a collection of over 8000 Ukiyo-e prints, including the works that have been posted on this web site. This collection originally belonged to Mr. Yasuo Yajima, Management Director for the Asahi Shimbun, who had acquired these pieces over a long period of time. When Mr. Yajima decided to donate his collection to "Kodomono Kuni (The Children's Castle)" Association for fund raising, Nagoya TV, led by the late Mr. Taiji Kawate, who was CEO at the time, were the only affiliates to bid. We thus decided to buy up the entire collection, which brings us to the present day.
Summary of the Collection
The collection not only contains prints beginning with Hishikawa Moronobu, who is considered to be the founder of Ukiyo-e, going all the way to prints from around the end of the Edo Period, but also contains local prints such as Kamigata-e, Nagasaki-e, Yokohama-e Kaika-e (blossoming prints), as well as more recent prints from the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa eras. As the works vary in diversity, one is able to trace the history of wood-block prints since the Edo Period. Not only are there single prints, but the collection also contains 75 works that are either a series of a number of prints pertaining to a particular subject or drawn by a particular artist that are collected into an album format, and on top of that, 20 wood-block works.
How to Enjoy the Collection
Although the collection includes many acclaimed works made by master artists such as Utamaro, Hokusai, and Hiroshige, that satisfies any viewer, the celebrated works are not the only way to enjoy the collection. There are many albums containing prints that are grouped under specific subjects, for example, the ran (orchid), sakura (cherry blossom), ume (plum), omoto (lily), and the chrysanthemum figures, which are fascinating because the prints can be enjoyed in the same way as the common folk enjoyed them during those days.
The prints in this collection have the same width and diversification as those circulating during that time, thus they can be enjoyed with great affinity.
An Introduction through the Internet
From the works that have not been opened to public viewing, we have chosen a number of representative works and placed them in this virtual space for your enjoyment.
Detailed breakdown of the Collection日本語
Nagoya Television's ukiyo-e collection is one of the largest in Japan, which includes a total of 8500 works produced by 250 different artists.
Single prints2066 pieces
All housed printings, including unsigned work, are sorted by artist and stored.
Collaboration work24 pieces
Collaboration work is a single print made by more than one artist.
Bound copy75 pieces
A bound copy is a series of single copies bound together or book bound.
Wood block prints20 pieces
Original prints and wood block prints, including all segments.
Hand written/Other4 pieces
All housed works, including unsigned work, is sorted by artist and stored.