Exploring Japan’s iconic woodblock print tradition in Yamaguchi prefecture

Ukiyo-e images are familiar to many Americans.

The iconic woodblock prints and paintings are instantly recognizable symbols of Japan, although foreigners might not know much about their history.

The art form flourished from the 17th to the 19th centuries during the Edo period (1603–1868) when ukiyo-e artists produced numerous memorable images of beautiful women, actors, landscapes, samurai, nature and erotica.

The Hagi Uragami Museum in Yamaguchi prefecture houses a collection of more than 5,000 ukiyo-e prints along with an impressive collection of ancient ceramics that includes works crafted nearby.

It features works by Katsushika Hokusai, famous for his “Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji” series.

On the day that Stars and Stripes visited, the museum was showing a famous woodblock triptych by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798–1861).

“Takiyasha the Witch and the Skeleton Spectre” shows the 10th-century princess Takiyasha reciting a spell to summon the menacing giant skeleton to frighten a warrior.

“Princess Tamatori Recovering the Sacred Jewel from the Dragon Palace” by Utagawa Kuniyoshi. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes)

The museum was also showing Kuniyoshi’s 1853 triptych, “Princess Tamatori Recovering the Sacred Jewel from the Dragon Palace.”

The work depicts the princess and a band of sword-waving samurai battling a sea serpent amid a raging sea.

Ukiyo-e prints are light-sensitive, so the rooms where they are displayed are dim, and the works on display are rotated with about 30 shown at a time.

The museum opened in 1996 to show a collection donated by the late local businessman Toshiro Uragami. It expanded in 2010 to include a collection of ceramics including local pottery crafted over the past 400 years.

The pottery includes some impressive cups for drinking green tea. Some of the cups are not perfectly round and have subtle imperfections that enhance their qualities.

Hagi, about 50 miles northwest of Iwakuni, includes an ancient castle, samurai residences and UNESCO World Heritage-listed industrial sites such as its shipyard.

The Hagi Uragami Museum in Japan’s Yamaguchi prefecture was expanded in 2010 to include a collection of ceramics. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes)

On the QT

Directions: About a 2-hour drive from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan. 586-1 Hiyakomachi, Hagi, Yamaguchi 758-0074

Times: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (last admission at 4:30 p.m.) Tuesday through Sunday. Closed Mondays, some holidays and maintenance periods.

Costs: 400 yen, adults; 250 yen, high school students and younger; free for seniors and those with disabilities.

Food: Eating and drinking is prohibited inside the museum, but you’ll find eateries nearby.

Information: Online: hum-web.jp (in Japanese)