Instruction in the Fundamentals of Success is a Meiji-era print series depicting historical paragons from ancient times to the present designed by the ukiyo-e artists Kobayashi Kiyochika (1847–1915), Utagawa Kuniaki II (1835–1888), Toyohara Kunichika (1835–1900), Inoue Yasuji (1864–1889), Mizuno Toshikata (1866–1908), Taisō Yoshitoshi (1866–1908), and Yōshū Chikanobu (1838–1892). The series consists of 53 prints and was published by Matsuki Heikichi from 1885 to 1890. In this paper, it is argued that the portrayals of the historical figures in the series was strongly influenced by the mid-19th century illustrated book series Zenken Kojitsu by Kikuchi Yōsai (1781–1878), and 19th-century pictures of classical narratives and warrior pictures designed by artists of the Utagawa School. Several of the pictures in the series can also be interpreted as an implicit criticism of the Meiji government. These prints, all related to the events of the Meiji restoration (1868) and the Satsuma Rebellion (1877), are analyzed in detail in the final part of this paper.

特集 : 林温教授 退職記念号