KUNITERU III was an artist who captured the breath of the new Meiji era with striking intensity and vivid clarity.
The genre that most clearly symbolizes Kuniteru III’s artistic career is kaika-e (prints of the Civilization and Enlightenment). He vividly recorded the newly emerging Western-style architecture, railways, horse-drawn carriages, and people dressed in Western attire that appeared in Meiji-era Tokyo, rendering them in surprisingly bright and affirmative colors.
In his works, the urbane sensibility of Edo smoothly transitions into the novelty of the Civilization and Enlightenment era. Kuniteru III’s prints are filled with kinetic brilliance—the collective energy of crowds delighting in a new age, and the powerful momentum of steam locomotives billowing smoke—embodying the dynamism of a society in transformation.
The genre that most clearly symbolizes Kuniteru III’s artistic career is kaika-e (prints of the Civilization and Enlightenment). He vividly recorded the newly emerging Western-style architecture, railways, horse-drawn carriages, and people dressed in Western attire that appeared in Meiji-era Tokyo, rendering them in surprisingly bright and affirmative colors.
In his works, the urbane sensibility of Edo smoothly transitions into the novelty of the Civilization and Enlightenment era. Kuniteru III’s prints are filled with kinetic brilliance—the collective energy of crowds delighting in a new age, and the powerful momentum of steam locomotives billowing smoke—embodying the dynamism of a society in transformation.
