MORE than 40 wood-block prints bringing to life the energy and spirit of 19th-century Tokyo - or Edo as it was then known - feature in an exhibition which opens at the Lady Lever Art Gallery in Port Sunlight this week. 

Edo Pop: Japanese prints - running from tomorrow until September 24 - refers to the popular culture of Japan at the time.

On loan from the private collection of Wirral-based art historian and writer, Frank Milner, it features work by leading Japanese printmakers such as Eisen, Kuniyoshi, Kunisada, Yoshitoshi, Sadahide and Kunichika; the last great master of the Kabuki actor print.

It also reveals how trail-blazing and industrious the printing industry in Japan was in the 19th century.

The technically accomplished Ukiyo-e prints, often produced from 12 or more woodblocks, were issued in runs of up to 7,000 of each image.

The colourful prints depict a lively city on the brink of huge cultural changes.

Split across several themes the exhibition reveals social customs, pastimes and lifestyle in a time when government censorship was strict.

Frank Milner - who worked for the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool for more than 30 years until his retirement 11 years ago - told the Globe: "This is a collection of 50 block prints all made in Japan, in the city of Edo, now called Tokyo.

"The concentration of this particular exhibition is very much about the people of the city and the things that excited them, in terms of their pleasures and pastimes".

"There's also a big part of the exhibition on firemen, because it was a wooden city firemen were, very much, a presence in the city".

He continued: "To me, what appeals about these prints is that so many are portraits of contemporary heroes that were originally bought by ordinary fans for the price of a bowl of noodles.

"People often think of Pop and its ephemera as a 1960s thing but over 150 years ago, in a wooden city of a million people on the other side of the world, there was a buzzing, exciting Pop culture and these beautifully-crafted prints show that.

"To be able to display some of the highlights of my collection at the Lady Lever Art Gallery is, for me, a privilege.

"Instead of crammed eight deep into my hallway they will now be given enough space to be able to really appreciate their unique qualities".

The main areas include:

  • Women of the Yoshiwara - An 18-acre walled, guarded and gated zone on the edge of Edo, Yoshiwara was home to 3,000 prostitutes who lived and worked alongside geishas, teahouse and brothel servants and entertainers.
  • Actors - About 80% of all Japanese woodblock prints were of Kabuki actors or scenes from plays.
  • Established in the late 17th century and hugely popular, by the 19th century, Kabuki theatre had turned its eye to contemporary Edo life.
  • Modernisation - The prints reflect a period of significant change for Japan, which until the 1850s had been a feudal society.
  • A trade deal with the USA in 1854 and the end of the Shogunate rule in 1868 was the start of this period of 'modernisation', with Edo as its main city, at the heart of the changes.
  • Sumo wrestling and Samurai warriors - Sumo wrestlers in 19th century Edo were celebrities just like the Kabuki actors. 

Sandra Penketh, director of Art Galleries at National Museums Liverpool, said: "Edo Pop: Japanese prints is a wonderful opportunity for our visitors to get an insight into a fascinating city, rich in culture and character.

"These evocative images will take visitors back in time to a world of beautiful geishas, brave samurai warriors and fabulous story-telling.

"We are very excited to be showing the prints at the Lady Lever Art Gallery and continue to build on our reputation for top-quality exhibitions.

"We're sure our visitors will be won over by the striking imagery and skilful execution, enjoying them as exquisite windows into another world, seemingly very different to our own but on closer inspection dealing with many familiar human subjects".