The Rise and Spread of Japanese Woodblock Prints
During the Edo period (1615-1867 c.E.), the Tokugawa family of shogun (hereditary military rulers) unified Japan and initiated a long period of peace that resulted in economic expansion and rapid population growth. The prosperity of the Edo period produced a wealthy urban middle class of merchants and artisans called chonin (town people), whose economic dominance was assured by strict laws prohibiting the upper classes from participating in commerce. Tokugawa laws also excluded the chonin from participating in politics and prevented them from engaging in foreign trade by closing Japan’s borders. As a result, the chonin spent their newfound wealth on new forms of art and entertainment in their cities.
In particular, the chonin patronized artists who employed a style of woodblock printing called ukiyo-e(pictures of the floating world) to depict the world of leisure activities available to the merchant classes. The woodblock prints illustrated the ordinary lives of the chonin, in contrast to earlier Japanese woodblock prints with religious subjects. Large numbers of woodblock prints were produced for the first time following the rise of this wealthy middle class. The ukiyo-e artists printed many copies from each carved woodblock, making them affordable for the chonin. In woodblock printing, the artist carves images into the flat surface of a wooden block, rolls ink onto the surface, and transfers the inked design onto paper to produce a print.
During the Tokugawa rule, trade with the outside world was limited to the Dutch East India Company and strictly regulated, but this changed in 1853， when the Japanese granted trading rights first to the United States and then to Europe. Japan was no longer isolated. The artistic culture of the Edo period was exposed to the West as European traders began collecting ukiyo-e prints. The arrival of the woodblock prints in Paris caused a sensation. Artists and writers marveled at the enchanting scenes of chonin daily life, captivated by the way Japanese artists suggested nature in a few skillful strokes to capture a fleeting moment in time. The Japanese simplified reality: they rendered their subjects using brilliantly colored flattened shapes within strong outlines. The ordinary subjects of ukiyo-e prints fascinated European artists because they wanted to stop painting the historical events and mythological themes common in Western art. Artists such as Edouard Manet began to paint ordinary, middle-class people using flattened areas of color-just as the chonin artists had. The Impressionist Claude Monet recorded the effects of lights on objects at various times of day, rendering moments in time.
In 1868,the Tokugawa shogunate collapsed, and the new Meiji government aimed to modernize Japan. It dispatched research missions to Europe and America to study Western industry and adapted mass production techniques to Japan’s finely made textile traditions. This resulted in a range of affordable fine textiles that were marketed to the United States. As the Industrial Revolution grew in America, a new middle class, growing accustomed to mass- produced goods, yearned for more finely crafted furnishings for their homes. Well-designed textiles from exotic Japan met this demand for quality, along with such objects as carved ivory figurines, embroideries, and furniture produced by traditional craft methods.
To promote Japan’s image as a modernized, cultured nation, the Meiji government participated in a series of international exhibitions, including the Centennial International Exhibition of 1876 in the United States, held in Philadelphia. The Japanese exhibited bronzes, enamels, and lacquered wooden objects with a wide range of prices to appeal to middle-class Americans. These elegant displays created an excitement about Japanese decorative arts in both England and America. The expression “the Japan Craze”first appeared in a British architectural publication in 1872. British playwright Oscar Wilde was central to the Japan Craze. Visiting America in 1882， he promoted Japanese aesthetics in a series of public lectures. His good friend, painter James McNeill Whistler, decorated the dining room of an English industrialist with opulent scenes of peacocks inspired by ukiyo-e prints and lacquer boxes. This sparked a trend of embellishing English interiors with Japanese decorative arts. The Meiji government used the European view of Japan as exotic and enchanting to fan the fires of the Japan Craze. They succeeded in marketing Japan as a creator of mass-produced decorative arts as well as high-quality craft.
1
During the Edo period (1615-1867 c.E.), the Tokugawa family of shogun (hereditary military rulers) unified Japan and initiated a long period of peace that resulted in economic expansion and rapid population growth. The prosperity of the Edo period produced a wealthy urban middle class of merchants and artisans called chonin (town people), whose economic dominance was assured by strict laws prohibiting the upper classes from participating in commerce. Tokugawa laws also excluded the chonin from participating in politics and prevented them from engaging in foreign trade by closing Japan’s borders. As a result, the chonin spent their newfound wealth on new forms of art and entertainment in their cities.
The word “initiated” in the passage is closest in meaning to
Vocabulary Questions词汇题
AExperienced
BManaged
CEnjoyed
Dstarted
2
During the Edo period (1615-1867 c.E.), the Tokugawa family of shogun (hereditary military rulers) unified Japan and initiated a long period of peace that resulted in economic expansion and rapid population growth. The prosperity of the Edo period produced a wealthy urban middle class of merchants and artisans called chonin (town people), whose economic dominance was assured by strict laws prohibiting the upper classes from participating in commerce. Tokugawa laws also excluded the chonin from participating in politics and prevented them from engaging in foreign trade by closing Japan’s borders. As a result, the chonin spent their newfound wealth on new forms of art and entertainment in their cities.
According to paragraph 1, which of the following was NOT one of the laws of the Edo period?
Negative Factual Information Questions否定事实信息题
AMembers of the upper class were forbidden from being involved in commerce.
BMembers of the middle class were forbidden from being involved in government.
CMembers of the middle class were forbidden from trading with other countries.
DMembers of the middle class were forbidden from working as artisans.
3
In particular, the chonin patronized artists who employed a style of woodblock printing called ukiyo-e(pictures of the floating world) to depict the world of leisure activities available to the merchant classes. The woodblock prints illustrated the ordinary lives of the chonin, in contrast to earlier Japanese woodblock prints with religious subjects. Large numbers of woodblock prints were produced for the first time following the rise of this wealthy middle class. The ukiyo-e artists printed many copies from each carved woodblock, making them affordable for the chonin. In woodblock printing, the artist carves images into the flat surface of a wooden block, rolls ink onto the surface, and transfers the inked design onto paper to produce a print.
The word “leisure” in the passage is closest in meaning to
Vocabulary Questions词汇题
ADaily
Balternative
Cfree-time
Dpermitted
4
In particular, the chonin patronized artists who employed a style of woodblock printing called ukiyo-e(pictures of the floating world) to depict the world of leisure activities available to the merchant classes. The woodblock prints illustrated the ordinary lives of the chonin, in contrast to earlier Japanese woodblock prints with religious subjects. Large numbers of woodblock prints were produced for the first time following the rise of this wealthy middle class. The ukiyo-e artists printed many copies from each carved woodblock, making them affordable for the chonin. In woodblock printing, the artist carves images into the flat surface of a wooden block, rolls ink onto the surface, and transfers the inked design onto paper to produce a print.
According to paragraph 2, ukiyo-e woodblock printing during the Edo period was different from earlier woodblock printing in which TWO of the following ways? To receive credit, you must select TWO answers.
Factual Information Questions事实信息题
Select 2 answers
AThe number of artists using the style
BThe things shown on the prints
CThe number of prints made
DThe process of producing the prints
5
During the Tokugawa rule, trade with the outside world was limited to the Dutch East India Company and strictly regulated, but this changed in 1853， when the Japanese granted trading rights first to the United States and then to Europe. Japan was no longer isolated. The artistic culture of the Edo period was exposed to the West as European traders began collecting ukiyo-e prints. The arrival of the woodblock prints in Paris caused a sensation. Artists and writers marveled at the enchanting scenes of chonin daily life, captivated by the way Japanese artists suggested nature in a few skillful strokes to capture a fleeting moment in time. The Japanese simplified reality: they rendered their subjects using brilliantly colored flattened shapes within strong outlines. The ordinary subjects of ukiyo-e prints fascinated European artists because they wanted to stop painting the historical events and mythological themes common in Western art. Artists such as Edouard Manet began to paint ordinary, middle-class people using flattened areas of color-just as the chonin artists had. The Impressionist Claude Monet recorded the effects of lights on objects at various times of day, rendering moments in time.
According to paragraph 3, which of the following is true of Japanese foreign trade during the Edo period?
Factual Information Questions事实信息题
ATrade was for a long time limited to ukiyo-e prints.
BThe Japanese opened up trade with Europe before they did with the United States.
CTrade ties with the Dutch East India Company were cut in 1853.
DThe Japanese traded only with the Dutch East India Company for much of the period.
6
During the Tokugawa rule, trade with the outside world was limited to the Dutch East India Company and strictly regulated, but this changed in 1853， when the Japanese granted trading rights first to the United States and then to Europe. Japan was no longer isolated. The artistic culture of the Edo period was exposed to the West as European traders began collecting ukiyo-e prints. The arrival of the woodblock prints in Paris caused a sensation. Artists and writers marveled at the enchanting scenes of chonin daily life, captivated by the way Japanese artists suggested nature in a few skillful strokes to capture a fleeting moment in time. The Japanese simplified reality: they rendered their subjects using brilliantly colored flattened shapes within strong outlines. The ordinary subjects of ukiyo-e prints fascinated European artists because they wanted to stop painting the historical events and mythological themes common in Western art. Artists such as Edouard Manet began to paint ordinary, middle-class people using flattened areas of color-just as the chonin artists had. The Impressionist Claude Monet recorded the effects of lights on objects at various times of day, rendering moments in time.
Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 3 about the artist Claude Monet?
Inference Questions推理题
AHis paintings were based on photographs that he took to capture moments in time
BHe encouraged Édouard Manet and other Western artists to stop reflecting historical events in their paintings.
CHis work became less interesting to Europeans after ukiyo-e prints arrived in Paris.
DHis art was influenced by Japanese woodblock prints of the Edo period.
7
In 1868,the Tokugawa shogunate collapsed, and the new Meiji government aimed to modernize Japan. It dispatched research missions to Europe and America to study Western industry and adapted mass production techniques to Japan’s finely made textile traditions. This resulted in a range of affordable fine textiles that were marketed to the United States. As the Industrial Revolution grew in America, a new middle class, growing accustomed to mass- produced goods, yearned for more finely crafted furnishings for their homes. Well-designed textiles from exotic Japan met this demand for quality, along with such objects as carved ivory figurines, embroideries, and furniture produced by traditional craft methods.
According to paragraph 4, the Meiji government did which of the following in its aim to modernize Japan?
Factual Information Questions事实信息题
AIt began to mass produce Japanese textiles using Western-style techniques.
BIt imported cheap mass-produced goods from Europe and the United States.
CIt promoted Japan’s traditional textile-making techniques in Europe and America.
DIt encouraged Japanese makers of figurines, embroideries, and furniture to learn Western methods.
8
To promote Japan’s image as a modernized, cultured nation, the Meiji government participated in a series of international exhibitions, including the Centennial International Exhibition of 1876 in the United States, held in Philadelphia. The Japanese exhibited bronzes, enamels, and lacquered wooden objects with a wide range of prices to appeal to middle-class Americans. These elegant displays created an excitement about Japanese decorative arts in both England and America. The expression “the Japan Craze”first appeared in a British architectural publication in 1872. British playwright Oscar Wilde was central to the Japan Craze. Visiting America in 1882， he promoted Japanese aesthetics in a series of public lectures. His good friend, painter James McNeill Whistler, decorated the dining room of an English industrialist with opulent scenes of peacocks inspired by ukiyo-e prints and lacquer boxes. This sparked a trend of embellishing English interiors with Japanese decorative arts. The Meiji government used the European view of Japan as exotic and enchanting to fan the fires of the Japan Craze. They succeeded in marketing Japan as a creator of mass-produced decorative arts as well as high-quality craft.
In paragraph 5, why does the author describe the dining room designed by James McNeill Whistler?
Rhetorical Purpose Questions修辞目的题
ATo support the claim that Japan was becoming a modernized nation
BTo illustrate how the Japan Craze began to affect interior décor in the West
CTo argue that Whistler was more influential than Oscar Wilde
DTo provide evidence of another style that was popular during the same period as ukiyo-e
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During the Tokugawa rule, trade with the outside world was limited to the Dutch East India Company and strictly regulated, but this changed in 1853， when the Japanese granted trading rights first to the United States and then to Europe. Japan was no longer isolated.[■] The artistic culture of the Edo period was exposed to the West as European traders began collecting ukiyo-e prints. [■] The arrival of the woodblock prints in Paris caused a sensation.[■] Artists and writers marveled at the enchanting scenes of chonin daily life, captivated by the way Japanese artists suggested nature in a few skillful strokes to capture a fleeting moment in time. [■] The Japanese simplified reality: they rendered their subjects using brilliantly colored flattened shapes within strong outlines. The ordinary subjects of ukiyo-e prints fascinated European artists because they wanted to stop painting the historical events and mythological themes common in Western art. Artists such as Edouard Manet began to paint ordinary, middle-class people using flattened areas of color-just as the chonin artists had. The Impressionist Claude Monet recorded the effects of lights on objects at various times of day, rendering moments in time.
Look at the four squaresthat indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage
As a consequence of its new situation, Japan formed connections with the outside world that had significant effects.
Insert Text Questions句子插入题
Where would the sentence best fit？Click on a square sentence to the passage.
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Japanese woodblock prints known as ukiyo-e became popular in Japan, the United States, and Europe during the Edo period.
Prose Summary Questions概要小结题
Select 3 answers
AThe artists who made the prints were known as chonin, and they used a process that involved carving designs into wooden blocks and then rolling on dark-colored ink to create highly detailed images.
BContact with the Western world encouraged Japanese artists to include historical events and mythological themes in woodblock.prints.
CThe Meiji government encouraged trade with the United States and Europe by modernizing production and promoting Japanese textiles and other decorative arts at international exhibitions.
DIn Japan, a new wealthy urban middle class appreciated the ukiyo-e prints, which captured scenes and moments from their lives and were produced in a way that made them affordable.
EThe failure of the Tokugawa shogunate to market Japan’s artistic culture to the outside world contributed to the collapse of the shogunate in 1868
FThe “Japan Craze” was furthered by European and American artists and intellectuals, who bought and talked about Japanese works and incorporated elements from ukiyo-e into their own art.
