Humour is universal, and it has always been very alive in Japan but it is often missed by Westerners because of the language and writing gaps. Maybe the easiest entry to Japanese humour is through woodblock prints which express visually all forms and subtleties of humour. Most importantly, these prints were produced for the Japanese general public and they truly reflect the urban culture of the time!
In this post, we have focused on social humour, by opposition to the political or satirical approaches through which the artist takes a stand. You will observe, as we did, a large variety of humoristic treatments, sometimes obscure.
We are still are looking for the warai (laugh or smile) some prints are supposed to induce…
Maybe you will help. Have fun!
A very large number of humoristic woodblocks were produced in the 19th century. Indeed, humor and parody were important aspects of Japanese art, developed partly in reaction against the rigid society imposed by the Tokugawa Shogunate Confucian philosophy, but also because Humour is consubstantial with Japanese culture and society. Consequently, although this post was focused on the subset of « non-political » humour, it still covered only a small part of this abundant production. However, we hope the array of styles and themes we described (with some humour, we hope…) will have given you a fair coverage of funny Japanese woodblocks, and the urge (!) of exploring them further.
Thanks to:
Imre Nagy, for his kind, benevolent and numerous translations
Francine Minvielle for reading early versions and for photo credits
Lavenberg Collection
Hiroshige.org.uk
THE MET
House of Good Fortune
Wikimedia
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