Surgical Ward' (Gekashitsu) from Bugei Kurabu (Literary Club)

Mizuno Toshikata

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Toshikata learned woodblock printing from Yoshitoshi, then studied Maruyama-Shijo-style painting under Watanabe Shōtei. Toshikata's sentimental style of beauty was followed by one of his students, Kaburagi Kiyokata. During the Meiji period the journal Bungei Kurabu (The Literary Club) emerged to revitalize the tradition of color woodblock prints as frontispiece illustrations (kuchi-e) for works of modern fiction. This print illustrates the popular romantic novel Surgery by Izumi Kyōka (1873–1939). A beautiful sick heroine is daydreaming that she and a handsome doctor are a couple. According to the novel, she eventually killed herself during her surgery conducted by the doctor.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art