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Edutainment > Nihon Minzoku Zufu - Pictures of Japanese Native Customs

"Nihon Minzoku Zufu" - Pictures of Japanese Native Customs. This is the title of a series of 12 Japanese woodblock prints that were created in 1946 by leading artists of the sosaku hanga movement - Umetaro Azechi, Hide Kawanishi, Sadao Kuroki, Masao Maeda, Doshun Mori, Kiyoshi Saito, Senpan Maekawa, Junichiro Sekino and Yasoji Wakayama.

Nihon Minzoku Zufu - the Series

The print series displays typical scenes of 12 native, traditional Japanese customs and rural regions. When it was published - in 1946 - Japan was still shell-shocked by a lost war and the experience of the atomic bombs. The US occupation forces brought a different culture to Japan - the American way of life. At the same time the US occupier developed a lively interest in Japanese art and culture. And especially the artists of the Japanese sosaku hanga movement experienced for the first time a commercially relevant interest in their art works. One of the Americans who actively researched and promoted modern Japanese art, was Oliver Stadtler.

We do not have any further information on how this series came to life. But the subject of Japanese traditional customs and folk art seems like an intended reflection to traditional Japanese values - the good side of Japan, so to speak.

Each of the 12 prints describes a scene of local customs in Japan. The series was published with a small title page and an accompanying pamphlet. The pamphlet describes each of the 12 prints in Japanese. The artists who created the series were leading exponents of sosaku hanga.

Umetaro Azechi
Hide Kawanishi
Sadao Kuroki
Masao Maeda
Doshun Mori
Kiyoshi Saito
Senpan Maekawa
Junichiro Sekino
Yasoji Wakayama

The following text is a wrap-up from the accompanying pamphlet.

Gion Festival

Gihon Festival
by Senpan Maekawa 1888-1960

Gion Festival is held on July 17th and 24th in Kyoto. The musicians on the large float play elegant "Gion-bayashi" tunes during the procession. The festival officials show their precious antiques and pictures to the spectators which is a unique custom of this festival.

Artist: Senpan Maekawa 1888-1960

Festival in Urasa

Festival in Urasa
by Senpan Maekawa 1888-1960

This festival is held in Urasa in Echigo province on the 3rd of March. At sunset, many young men who are scarcely clothed, gather in Rashamon-do pavilion. They wrestle in the small pavilion. At dawn they will dedicate a large candle, sake and other products to the gods. After that, they will throw the sake cups. The bi-standers will compete to pick them up for good luck. This festival is peculiar because it is held during the most snowy time of the year.

Artist: Senpan Maekawa 1888-1960

Tanabata Festival in Hida

Tanabata Festival in Hida
by Doshun Mori 1909-1985

Tanabata Festival is held in Hida on the 7th of August. The children blow a large conch-shell horn and carry a long green bamboo decorated with colorful tanzaku papers. They visit various houses to ask for the contributions for the festival. The many lanterns and shells filled with oil are lit on Miyagawa River and Enago River at the evening of the 7th. They, along with the sound of the conch-shell create the beautiful mood and scenery of the festival.

Artist: Doshun Mori 1909-1985

Winter in Aizu

Winter in Aizu
by Kiyoshi Saito 1907-1997

Where are you going? I am just visiting the next village... Regardless we knew them or not, we always greeted to the people we met on the street in my home village. She just made a brief pray to the simple jizo-hall with "emma" picture which were making some noises by blowing wind and disappeared into the lonely road in the deep snow.

Artist: Kiyoshi Saito 1907-1997

Snow Room

I have a fond memory of growing up in the snow country. The small room dug into the deep snow had a straw mattress and the charcoal brazier on which fragrant rice cakes were baked. The candle lights flickered. And stories were told: "There was a young woman in white waiting at the bridge in the end of the village. She asked a man who passed by to hold the crying baby for her. Then she disappeared into the heavy snow. In the morning, people found the man buried in the snow as an icicle. The woman was the supernatural snow maiden."

Artist: Junichiro Sekino 1914-1988

Courtesan Parade

Courtesan Parade
by Junichiro Sekino 1914-1988

I have been interested in Edo Nishiki-e, especially the handsome women's faces like the ones by Kunisada and Eisen. "Oiran Dochu" (Courtesan Parade) was depicted very well in a novel in which the courtesan's hope that she might encounter someone she knew, or the stress of wearing the full costumes and the delicious tea after the tiring parade with the high platform sandals. I saw one "Oiran Dochu" in Sendai when I was very young. This picture expresses my nostalgic memory of it.

Artist: Junichiro Sekino 1914-1988

Kobe Port Festival

Kobe Port Festival
by Hide Kawanishi 1894-1965

"Kobe Minato Matsuri" - the Port festival was held around November 7th or 8th. The interesting characteristic of this festival was that the parade on land was organized by the foreigners in the Kobe area and by the Japanese as well. The international parade presented Miss Kobe in front of the decorative floats made by people from different nations. At the beginning, Miss Kobe dressed as a Western princess to add an exotic feeling to the parade. But later she wore a beautiful Japanese kimono. After world war II, I was sure that the International Port Festival would have continued. Unfortunately, the "international" was taken away from Japan, and "port" became nothing but a name. I am hoping that Kobe Port Festival can be revived before this picture becomes only a memory of the past.

Artist: Hide Kawanishi 1894-1965

Bull Fight in Iyo

Umetaro Azechi - Biography
by Umetaro Azechi 1902-1999
copyright protected

"Iyo no Togyu" - the bull fight at Uwajima Island and the southern Iyo area was imported from the Spanish merchant ship which had wrecked more than 200 years ago. In Uwajima Island, the bulls were bread as fighters from their birth on. They received food such as chicken eggs and mochi rice, and were more pampered than humans. On the day of the tornament, the bulls wore colorful robes.

Artist: Umetaro Azechi 1902-1999

Iwato Kagura Play

Iwato Kagura Play
by Sadao Kuroki 1908-1984

The winter at the village in Takachiho in Hiyuga province is the merry time for the Kagura play in the evening. The religious villagers offer agricultural products to the gods. The thirty-three different kinds of dances with funny drum beats and flutes were performed in the sacred front yard of a designated house or the theater area of the shrine. This was the time when people and the gods communicated with their souls.

Artist: Sadao Kuroki 1908-1984

Oshima Anko

Oshima Anko
by Masao Maeda 1904-1974

"Oshima anko" (women of Oshima) were famous for their long black hair which they bound as "Inbonjiri-maki". They carry water buckets on top of their heads twice per day - in the morning and in the evening. The "Mizu-kumi Anko" (The water dipping women of Oshima) are also a famous tourist attraction.

Artist: Masao Maeda 1904-1974

Squid Drying in Esashi

Squid Drying in Esashi
by Yasoji Wakayama 1903-1983

"Ikaboshi in Esashi" Esashi in Hokkaido island was famous for its folk songs - Oiwake. It was very prosperous during the Edo era but it became obsolete during the Meiji era. Because of its long history, it retained its unique customs. Squid drying was one of them.

Artist: Yasoji Wakayama 1903-1983

Amakusa no Bansho

Amakusa no Bansho
by Yasoji Wakayama 1903-1983

"Amakusa no Bansho" (Evening Bells of Amakusa). Amakusa Islands in Kagoshima prefecture has been considered a romantic place for some reason. Christianity in this archipelago has been very unique in Japan and had been prosecuted relentlessly during the Edo era. But now, Christian life style can be seen deeply rooted in daily life - the beautiful churches, French ministers living here for 50 years or the farmers who stop working to pray with the church bells twice a day. With this image I tried to express my feelings for the religious countryside.