5 Manga-like Expression Seen in Meiji Ukiyo-e

Manga gained popular recognition from the Edo period through to the early Meiji period in the form of "giga" comic scenes. Diverse modes of expressions which have carried through to modern manga are identifiable in these "giga".

We will now take a look at the diverse manga-like modes of expression which link particular Ukiyo-e drawn in the early Meiji period to today’s manga.

Many giga depicting animals were drawn after the “Choju-jinbutsu-giga” (commonly known as the “Scrolls of Frolicking Animals”), which are said to be the root of modern Japanese manga.

Momotaro is a fairytale which has enjoyed long popularity in Japan. The dog, monkey, and pheasant which follow the main protagonist Momotaro are depicted as anthropomorphic figures.

The dignified countenance of the animals dressed in kimono is genuinely amusing.

Here is a lighthearted piece which shows the scene backstage at a playhouse using anthropomorphic cats.

We see cats lounging in a dressing room,

cats applying make-up,

and who join the usual cast of kabuki performers including those in charge of providing the musical accompaniment such as shamisen and drums.

The composition involving a cross-sectional view of the dressing room is also distinctive. The rich range of movement and expressions of the animals almost allows us to discern a variety of stories from this single picture.

People’s facial expressions are an essential element of expression in conveying people’s emotions and the storyline in manga.

Kiyochika Kobayashi depicted human faces in various scenes, to hone in on the diversity and appeal of the expressions which people exhibit in their daily lives.

On the right, we see the expression of a “yawn,” while on the left, “the moment when dirt gets in your eye.”

On the right, we see the expression of “a frightened child pursued by a dog,” and on the left, we see an old woman crying “tears of gratitude.”

Many of the Ukiyo-e of this period are articulated in a single picture. However, we can also see those which elaborate on the story by dividing a single picture with lines. This is a method which is also common to the panel layout of modern manga frames.

This is Wang Pou, one the “24 Filial Exemplars,” from a collection of stories about filial piety. It depicts Wang Pou hurrying to the grave of his mother each time that lighting strikes to comfort her due to his mother’s fear of thunder while she was alive.

The unique composition boldly partitions the picture diagonally using the lightning.

Complicated scenes which also convey the mental states of those depicted, thus complementing the single reality depicted by the picture, were made possible by using embedded pictures to express emotions.

A foreign building in the oval suspended behind the woman reading a western book expresses the mental state of a young lady dreaming of all things western. Such representations linking the actual world and the world of the mind are common to modern manga.

The tapestry of the everyday lives of the townspeople is woven with threads of mirth. Here we introduce an Ukiyo-e which isolates one such comical scene.

To the rear we see the port of Teppozu; while in the foreground a woman does her laundry.

On the second floor of the house next door, cats frolic good-naturedly. With this, the bonsai in the eaves falls....

colliding with the head of the fishmonger doing his rounds!

Both the children and dog observing this scene wear looks of surprise. This is a comical Ukiyo-e which depicts a scene of everyday life in a single picture, while weaving in storyline elements to make us laugh in spite of ourselves.