Up until the nineteenth century, most Japanese art — block prints and silk painting — depicted still lives, scenes from nature, domestic living and stories from Japanese myths and history. Very few of these works — apart from the last category — could be called narrative art. Then, in the nineteenth century, Japanese art went through convulsions analogous to what the nation as a whole went through: violent and grotesque imagery and celebrations of victory by the Japanese army and navy. Artists also continued rendering traditional subjects; but the changing nature of Japanese society would soon give way to newer subjects and forms of expression.
Some artists, such as Yoshitoshi, regretted the decline of traditional Japanese art — most notably, the decline of wood block printing as Western lithography and photography attracted both public and artists alike. Today, the narrative element in Japanese art has been largely taken over by anime and manga, as well as by extremely popular cartoons such as Doraemon.
Click on each of the following images for a detailed discussion of their narratives.
