The paramount event that would change the Japanese urban landscape forever was the occurrence of the Great Kantō Earthquake. Just before noon on September 1, 1923, a quake measuring 8.3 on the Richter scale struck the Kantō area and literally flattened much of Tokyo and Yokohama in a matter of minutes. Devastating fires broke out and more than 100,000 people lost their lives. The homes of three million people were destroyed. Not only did the earthquake devastate the urban structure of Tokyo, but it also had a deep and profound influence on society. First of all, in an episode of uncontrolled violence and mayhem towards Koreans and communists, thousands were killed who were thought to have poisoned the wells of drinking water. The general disarray was exploited by the metropolitan police to diminish the strength of leftist sympathizers, of whom, again, many were killed. However, the atmosphere was such that there were also hopes among the art establishment that Tokyo would be rebuilt in a modernist style and that it would in fact give a sense of moral space as opposed to the suffocating atmosphere of Meiji Tokyo.

The famous author Tanizaki Jun'ichiro (1886-1965), in fact, had initially rejoiced over the destruction of Tokyo in 1923. He was in Hakone when the earthquake hit, and he immediately had visions of a great modern metropolis, bustling and less constricting, bringing changes in customs and manners. But in fact, this initial enthusiasm was soon replaced by nostalgia for the old Tokyo, as excessive building in the Western style created so many changes in such a short time that it led to social unrest. The earthquake had indeed rearranged the cultural and physical landscape. At great speed, the reconstruction replaced traditional neighbourhoods with high-rise living quarters, placing millions in multi-storeyed buildings that destroyed any former local atmosphere; the concomitant expansion of huge factories, in which the populace worked much like drones in beehives, led to more social unrest and a sense of social detachment.

It is no surprise that this climate of discontent had its impact on the art world. Foreign art movements were successful, but socialist exhibitions drew the attention of the police, and the authorities tried to control the development of leftist activities. During this period, artist groups would appear and disappear, magazines would be created, and exhibition associations would be organized, with numerous split-offs and new alignments.

Ono Tadashige (1909-1990) created the Shin hanga shūdan (New Print Group) in the early 1930s, and the group held its first exhibition in 1932. It was decidedly populist, and its aim was, by making prints and selling them cheap, to create a stronger social awareness through art.

Oda Kazuma organized the lithographers in the Yōfū hangakai (Western Print Society) and but after just a year, it merged with Nihon Sōsaku hanga kyōkai to form the Nihon hanga kyōkai (Japan Print Cooperative Society) early in 1931. This society, with influential members such as Onchi Kōshirō (1891-1955), Yamamoto Kanae (1882-1946), Okada Saburōsuke (1869-1939), Oda Kazuma, and many others, remained in existence until the early seventies. Numerous joint projects originated from this group.

Notes:
3. Smith, Henry D., Kiyochika p. 17
4. Oda Kazuma, Kobayashi Kiyochika no hanga, (The prints of Kobayashi Kiyochika), Ukiyoe no kenkyu, 12, 1924 p. 2-6

Figure:
Hiratsuka Unichi 平塚運一(1895-1997)
Tsukiji (築地), from the series Scenes after the Tokyo Earthquake disaster (東京震災跡風景)
Published in 1923.
Tsukiji used to be a piece of reclaimed land where the daimyö had their castles. During the Meiji era it was designated as one of the smaller enclaves for foreigners but it never became really popular. This most unusual print stems from a series of twelve prints with views right after the earthquake.