Toyohara Chikanobu (豊原周延, 1838–1912), better known to his contemporaries as Yōshū Chikanobu (楊洲周延), was a Japanese painter and printmaker who was widely regarded as a prolific woodblock artist during the Meiji epoch.

Chikanobu signed his artwork "Yōshū Chikanobu" (楊洲周延). This was his "art name" (作品名, sakuhinmei). The artist's "real name" (本名, honmyō) was Hashimoto Naoyoshi (橋本直義); and it was published in his obituary.^[1]

Many of his earliest works were signed "studio of Yōshū Chikanobu" (楊洲齋周延, Yōshū-sai Chikanobu); a small number of his early creations were simply signed "Yōshū" (楊洲). At least one triptych from 12 Meiji (1879) exists signed "Yōshū Naoyoshi" (楊洲直義).

The portrait of the Emperor Meiji held by the British Museum is inscribed "drawn by Yōshū Chikanobu by special request" (應需楊洲周延筆, motome ni ōjite Yōshū Chikanobu hitsu).^[2]

No works have surfaced that are signed either "Toyohara Chikanobu" or "Hashimoto Chikanobu".^[3]

Chikanobu was a retainer of the Sakakibara clan of Takada Domain in Echigo Province. After the collapse of the Tokugawa Shogunate, he joined the Shōgitai and fought in the Battle of Ueno.^[1]

He joined Tokugawa loyalists in Hakodate, Hokkaidō, where he fought in the Battle of Hakodate at the Goryōkaku star fort. He served under the leadership of Enomoto Takeaki and Ōtori Keisuke; and he achieved fame for his bravery.^[1]

Following the Shōgitai's surrender, he was remanded along with others to the authorities in the Takada domain.^[1]

In 1875 (Meiji 8), he decided to try to make a living as an artist. He travelled to Tokyo. He found work as an artist for the Kaishin Shimbun.^[4] In addition, he produced nishiki-e artworks.^[1] In his younger days, he had studied the Kanō school of painting; but his interest was drawn to ukiyo-e. He studied with a disciple of Keisai Eisen and then he joined the school of Ichiyūsai Kuniyoshi; during this period, he called himself Yoshitsuru. After Kuniyoshi's death, he studied with Kunisada. He also referred to himself as Yōshū.^[1]

Like many ukiyo-e artists, Chikanobu turned his attention towards a great variety of subjects. His work ranged from Japanese mythology to depictions of the battlefields of his lifetime to women's fashions. As well as a number of the other artists of this period, he too portrayed kabuki actors in character, and is well known for his impressions of the mie (mise en scène) of kabuki productions. Chikanobu was known as a master of bijinga.^[1] images of beautiful women, and for illustrating changes in women's fashion, including both traditional and Western clothing. His work illustrated the changes in coiffures and make-up across time. For example, in Chikanobu's images in Mirror of Ages (1897), the hair styles of the Tenmei era, 1781-1789^[5] are distinguished from those of the Keiō era, 1865-1867.^[6] His works capture the transition from the age of the samurai to Meiji modernity, the artistic chaos of the Meiji period exemplifying the concept of "furumekashii/imamekashii".^[7]

Chikanobu is a recognizable Meiji period artist,^[8] but his subjects were sometimes drawn from earlier historical eras. For example, one print illustrates an incident during the 1855 Ansei Edo earthquake.^[9] The early Meiji period was marked by clashes between disputing samurai forces with differing views about ending Japan's self-imposed isolation and about the changing relationship between the Imperial court and the Tokugawa shogunate.^[10] He created a range of impressions and scenes of the Satsuma Rebellion and Saigō Takamori.^[11] Some of these prints illustrated the period of domestic unrest and other subjects of topical interest, including prints like the 1882 image of the Imo Incident, also known as the Jingo Incident (壬午事変, jingo jihen) at right.

The greatest number of Chikanobu's war prints (戦争絵, sensō-e) appeared in triptych format. These works documented the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895. For example, the "Victory at Asan"^[12] was published with a contemporaneous account of the July 29, 1894 battle.

Among those influenced by Chikanobu were Nobukazu (楊斎延一, Yōsai Nobukazu) and Gyokuei (楊堂玉英, Yōdō Gyokuei).^[1]

Examples of battle scenes (戦争絵, sensō-e) include:

• Boshin War 1868–1869 (戊辰戦争, Boshin sensō)
• Satsuma Rebellion 1877 (西南戦争, Seinan sensō)

Examples of scenes from this war include:

• 
  A scene from the battle at Kagoshima
• 
  An Assemblage of the Heroines of Kagoshima
• 
  The battle at Nobeoka

• Jingo Incident Korea 1882 (壬午事変, Jingo Jihen)

Examples of scenes from this war include:

• 
  A sea-land battle from the Korean Uprising
• 
  The Japanese Mission to the Koreans
• 
  A battle scene from the Korean Incident

• Sino-Japanese War 1894–1895 (日清戦争, Nisshin sensō)

Examples of scenes from this war include:

• 
  A battle scene from the First Sino-Japanese War
• 
  A battle scene from the First Sino-Japanese War
• 
  A battle scene from the First Sino-Japanese War

• Russo-Japanese War 1904–5 (日露戦争, Nichiro sensō)

Examples of scenes from this war include:

• 
  A battle scene from the Russo-Japanese War

Examples of warrior prints (武者絵, Musha-e) include:

• 
  Gempei Seisuiki series,Miura Daisuke Yoshiaki (1093-1181)
• 
  Azuma nishiki chūya kurabe series, Kusunoki Masatsura attacking an oni
• 
  Setsu Gekka (1st series),Takiyasha-hime, daughter of Taira no Masakado

• 
  Sakakibara Yasumasa and Toyotomi Hideyoshi on Mt. Komaki
• 
  Tomoe Gozen with Uchida Ieyoshi and Hatakeyama no Shigetada

Examples of "beauty pictures" (美人画, Bijin-ga) include:

• 
  Azuma series, keshō
• 
  Shin Bijin series, No. 12
• 
  Setsu Gekka (second series), suimen no tsuki
• 
  Gentō Shashin Kurabe series, Arashiyama
• 
  Jidai Kagami series, Kenmu nengō (era)
• 
  azuma fūzoku nenjū gyōji series, 6th month
• 
  Kyōdō risshiki album No. 42 Chikako

Examples of historical scenes (史教画, Reshiki-ga) include: Recent (Meiji era) history

• 
  A scene of the Japanese Diet
• 
  A Scene in the House of Peers
• 
  A scene of a meeting of the Privy Council

Ancient history

• 
  Nihon Rekishi Kyokun series – Lessons from Japan's History - Shiragi Saburō and Tokiaki
• 
  Nihon Rekishi Kyokun series – Lessons from Japan's History - Tajima no kami Norimasa
• 
  Shogun hearing a lawsuit at Fukiage (of Edo Castle)

Examples of scenic spots (名所絵, Meisho-e) include:

• 
  Nikko Mesho series, Hannya and Hoto Waterfalls
• 
  Kameido Tenjin Shrine

Examples of portraits (肖像画, Shōzō-ga) include:

• 
  Emperor Meiji
• 
  Saigō Takamori

Examples of "enlightenment pictures" (文明開化絵, Bunmei kaika-e) include:

Examples of "kabuki scenes/actor portraits" (役者絵, Yakusha-e) include:

• 
  Kabuki scene
• 
  Kabuki scene
• 
  Kuronushi attempting to cut down a cherry tree^[13]
• 
  Kabuki scene
• 
  Kabuki scene depicting a samurai of the Sanada carrying a cannon
• 
  Kabuki scene

Others:

• 
  painting "Mirror of the statue of all the kings of the world" that depicts kings of the world in that time.

Examples of "Memorial prints" (死絵, Shini-e) include:

• 
  Iwai Hanshiro VIII, 1829-1882
• 
  Iwai Hanshiro VIII

Examples of "Etiquette and Manners for Women" (女禮式, joreishiki) include:

• 
  Azuma kai series:Watching cherry blossoms fall (hanami)
• 
  Kaika kyōiku mari uta series:teaching songs with koto and gekkin
• 
  Shin bijin series:Practicing kanji
• 
  Nijūshi kō mitate e awase series:Weaving Tōei
• 
  Setsu gekka series II:creating bonseki
• 
  Azuma fūzoku fuku tsukushiseries:purchasing kimono cloth at the drapers
• 
  Fugaku shū series:Women digging clams at the beach

• 
  Typical Meiji era pastimes
• 
  Japanese tea ceremony
• 
  Japanese Flower Arranging Ikebana

Examples of Emperor Meiji relaxing include:

• 
  Emperor Meiji at a Flower Show
• 
  Emperor Meiji at Asukayama Park
• 
  Emperor Meiji enjoying the cool evening

Examples of "Contrast prints" (見立絵, Mitate-e) include:

• 
  Mitate jūni shi series The Sign of the Ox
• 
  Gentō shashin kurabe series Kanjinchō
• 
  Imayō tōkyō hakkei series Evening bell at Asakusa
• 
  Nijūshi Kō Mitate E Awase series The Deer Milker

Examples of this genre include:

Like the majority of his contemporaries, he worked mostly in the ōban tate-e^[14] format. There are quite a number of single panel series, as well as many other prints in this format which are not a part of any series.

He produced several series in the ōban yoko-e^[15] format, which were usually then folded cross-wise to produce an album.

Although he is, perhaps, best known for his triptychs, single topics and series, two diptych series are known as well. There are, at least, three polyptych^[16] prints known.^[17]

His signature may also be found in the line drawings and illustrations in a number of ehon (絵本), which were mostly of a historical nature. In addition, there are fan prints uchiwa-e (団扇絵), as well as number of sheets of sugoroku (すごろく) with his signature that still exist and at least three prints in the kakemono-e^[18] format were produced in his latter years.

In a statistical overview derived from writings by and about Hashimoto Toyohara, OCLC/WorldCat encompasses roughly 300+ works in 300+ publications in 2 languages and 700+ library holdings^[19]

• 鳥追阿松海上新話. 初編 (1878)
• 鳥追阿松海上新話. 2編 (1878)
• 五人殲苦魔物語. 初編 (1879)
• 艷娘毒蛇淵. 2編上の卷 (1880)
• 白菖阿繁顛末. 3編 (1880)
• 沢村田之助曙草紙. 初編 (1880)
• 浪枕江の島新語. 3編下之卷 (1880)
• 浪枕江の島新語. 3編中之卷 (1880)
• 浪枕江の島新語. 3編上之卷 (1880)
• 浪枕江の島新語. 初編上之卷 (1880)
• 浪枕江の島新語. 2編下之卷 (1880)
• 坂東彥三倭一流. 初編 (1880)
• 川上行義復讐新話. 2編下の卷 (1881)
• 川上行義復讐新話. 初編上之卷 (1881)
• 真田三代記 : 絵本. 初編 (1882)
• 明良双葉艸. 8編上 (1888)
• 明良双葉艸. 5編上 (1888)
• 千代田之大奥 by 楊洲周延 (1895)

• List of works by Toyohara Chikanobu
• List of ukiyo-e terms
• War artist

• Cavaye, Ronald; Paul Griffith; Akihiko Senda and Mansai Nomura. (2004). A Guide to the Japanese Stage: from Traditional to Cutting Edge. Tokyo: Kōdansha. ISBN 978-4-7700-2987-4; OCLC 148109695
• Coats, Bruce; Kyoko Kurita; Joshua S. Mostow and Allen Hockley. (2006). Chikanobu: Modernity And Nostalgia in Japanese Prints. Leiden: Hotei. ISBN 978-90-04-15490-2; ISBN 978-90-74822-88-6; OCLC 255142506
• Till, Barry. (2010). "Woodblock Prints of Meiji Japan (1868-1912): A View of History Though Art". Hong Kong: Arts of Asia. Vol. XL, no.4, pp. 76–98. ISSN 0004-4083; OCLC 1514382

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Toyohara Chikanobu.

• Chikanobu and Yoshitoshi Woodblock Prints in the Claremont Colleges Digital Library
• Chikanobu: The Artist's Eye
• Ukiyo-e Prints by Toyohara Chikanobu
• Biography of Toyohara Chikanobu, Artelino
• Biography of Toyohara Chikanobu, Robyn Butin of Honolulu
• Biography of Toyohara Chikanobu, Ukiyo-e.com