Dr. Julius Kurt, who started the ukiyo-e boom in Europe

Introducing new exhibits starting in July.

This is “Die Momochidori des Kitagawa Utamaro” by Dr. Julius Kurt, a renowned ukiyo-e researcher of Utamaro and Sharaku. According to a search of the national book database, this book is rare, with only two copies remaining in Japan. Originally produced in Berlin in 1912 in a limited run of 300 copies, it was presented to scholars, artists, and patrons, and during the Meiji period, there was virtually no circulation of books from Europe to Japan. There appears to be one copy of this book at the University of Tokyo, but our store appears to be the only one with a permanent display.

Dr. Julius Kurth (1870–1949) was a German art historian and researcher of Oriental art active in the early 20th century, and a pioneer in the study of ukiyo-e in the West. He reevaluated ukiyo-e not simply as a form of Japanese folk art, but as a form of delicate artistic expression, focusing particularly on Kitagawa Utamaro and Toshusai Sharaku. Kurth’s research played a role in providing theoretical and art historical support for the popularity of Japonism in Europe, and had a major influence on the reception of Japanese art in later generations.

Kurt highly praised Sharaku, describing the bold forms, psychological insight, and strong personalities evident in his work as “an expressionistic talent unique among Japanese art.” He particularly focused on the actors’ facial expressions, exaggerated physical movements, and expressive power to capture the performance of a single moment, describing this as “a visual innovation that is in line with Western Expressionism.”

Kurt also noted that Sharaku’s career was extremely short, emphasizing his artistic solitary nature as “a genius whose short life gave him a mystical quality.” At the time, Sharaku’s work was not highly regarded in Japan, and it was Western researchers like Kurt who first strongly emphasized its value. He stated that Sharaku’s works were extremely unusual in the history of ukiyo-e in that they combined both “theatricality” and “interiority,” and keenly captured the essence of theatrical expression.

Through Sharaku, Kurt sought to prove that ukiyo-e was not simply a form of printed art for entertainment, but could sometimes possess artistic qualities that penetrated the depths of the psyche. This perspective played a major role in raising the artistic status of Japanese art in the West. Kurt’s research is still being reevaluated today as the starting point for Sharaku theory and ukiyo-e research. However, it should be noted that there are also criticisms that Kurt’s evaluation of Sharaku is excessive.

[Kurt’s Kyoka-Asa of One Hundred Thousand Birds]

“Die Momochidori des Kitagawa Utamaro” (The Hundred Thousand Birds) is an art book compiled by German art historian Julius Kurth in 1912 to introduce Kitagawa Utamaro’s work “Hundred Thousand Birds Kyoka-awase” to the West. The book was limited to 300 copies, and each double-page spread featured a copperplate reproduction of Utamaro’s woodblock print, along with a German translation and commentary of the corresponding kyoka poem, making it one of the most sophisticated art publications of its time.

The original version, “Hyakuchidori Kyoka-awase,” is a gorgeous print published by Tsutaya Juzaburo in 1786, combining various birds with related kyoka poems. Kurt praised this work not simply as a decorative picture book, but as a work of art that “fused poetry and painting,” in which the pictures and poetry resonate with each other. He particularly noted Utamaro’s extremely delicate depiction of the bird species, their movements, and even the texture of their feathers, and stated that his use of techniques such as kime-dashi, kara-zuri, and mica-zuri creates an exquisite harmony between each kyoka poem and the visual expression.

Kurt also interpreted the birds’ behavior and conversation as depicting a poetic world where nature and human emotions intersect. For this reason, the book carefully translates and annotates the content of the kyoka poems for each illustration, making the relationship between the pictures and the poetry accessible to Western readers.

Furthermore, through this work, Kurt emphasizes that Utamaro was not simply a painter of beautiful women, but also an artist with a poetic sensibility. In the preface to this book, he states, “Utamaro’s colors and lines are like poetry taking shape,” and attempts to reevaluate the lyricism and formal beauty of ukiyo-e in the context of Western art.

I am not a scholar and cannot speak as eloquently as Kurt, but I believe that it is producer Tsutae’s literacy in kyoka, not Utamaro’s, that determines the formal beauty of this work.

This is because it is hard to imagine that Utamaro, known as the “Ayamaru of the Brush,” had the same level of understanding of waka and kyoka as Tsutaju. Tsutaju not only produced but also left behind numerous handwritten works. Furthermore, when Utamaro created “Hyakuchidori,” he was still a budding artist. While there is no doubt that he was blessed with artistic talent, it is difficult to imagine that he had the knowledge to understand waka and express kyoka and painting in a three-dimensional way. Tsutaju was not only acquainted with Ota Nanpo and Karagoromo Kikkushige, but also belonged to the Yoshiwara Ren (kyoka club) led by Omonjiya Ichibei, and was himself active as a kyoka artist under the name “Tsutana no Karamaru.” It is likely that he created this luxurious kyoka picture book based on his experience in creating numerous multicolored nishiki-e prints, including “Hinagata Wakana,” “Blue-Room Beauty Mirror,” and “New Courtesan Beauty Mirror.” It is likely that the Tenmei kyoka boom was behind its creation. He probably also referred to Ota Nanpo’s “Kyoka Ehon,” which had already been published before the Kyoka-e trilogy. Tsutaju’s production seems to have had a greater influence on Utamaro’s early paintings than one might imagine.

I believe Kurt’s high praise for Utamaro played a major role in the Japonesque boom. Tsutaju’s planning likely influenced Utamaro’s early works. It’s more natural to assume that the decision on whether to use luxurious mica printing or embossing, such as graining, was handled by Tsutaju, who controlled the budget, rather than by Utamaro. Kurt seemed impressed by the gaffe-like (three-dimensional) technical execution. I believe a deeper understanding of Utamaro’s works would have been achieved by deepening our understanding of Tsutaju’s instructions and the skills of the printers, rather than just Utamaro’s worldview. Kurt’s commentary seems to lack detail on those involved in the work other than the artist, which may have resulted in an overestimation of Sharaku alone. Tsutaju’s influence on Sharaku’s work was particularly significant, and Kurt’s failure to fully understand that Sharaku’s work was also Tsutaju’s led to his overestimation. As a result, I feel the Sharaku boom died down. This is just my personal observation though.

In any event, “Die Momochidori” was the first serious ukiyo-e research book in the West to focus on the fusion of poetry and art, and is a major contributor to the spread of ukiyo-e around the world. Even today, this book is highly regarded as a fundamental resource for ukiyo-e studies.

[Overview of Die Momochidori]

Julius Kurt’s book “Die Momochidori des Kitagawa Utamaro” (published in 1912) was not produced in Japan. This work was printed and published in Germany (Berlin), and is a high-quality reproduction of an ukiyo-e art book by a Westerner.

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📍Place of production

• Place of publication: Berlin, Germany
• Publisher: ：Rex & Co.
• Limited edition: 300 copies only

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🎨 About printing techniques

The illustrations in Die Momochidori aim to replicate the woodblock prints of the original Hyakuchidori Kyoka-awase, but they use printing techniques that were common in the West at the time:

❌ This work is not a woodblock print (Japanese style). It is a valuable piece that imitates woodblock prints using Western techniques.

• It is not made using the traditional Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock printing technique (division of labor between carvers and printers).

✅ Possibly lithograph or polychrome copperplate print (lithograph/chromolithograph)

• Kurt’s edition imitates Japanese woodblock prints using lithography (stone printing) or copperplate printing techniques that were developed in Europe at the time.
• The colors are thought to be hand-colored or created using chromolithography (polychromatic lithography).

🖼 Differences from the original: At Ukiyo-e Cafe Tsutaju, the Hyakuchidori Kyoka-awase (Meiji print) and Kurt’s work are displayed side by side for comparison, allowing you to see the differences up close.

item	Original (Tsutaya Juzaburo version)	Kurt version
Place of production	Edo, Japan	Berlin, Germany
Technique	Hand-carved and hand-railed woodblock prints	Lithography or copperplate printing (machine printing)
Color	High-quality printing techniques unique to Japan, such as mica printing and air printing	Hand-colored or printed color reproduction
The purpose	Gifts and limited distribution to Kyoka poets	Art books and academic introductions

✅ Summary

Kurt’s “Die Momochidori” is a high-quality art book published in Germany, produced using Western printing techniques (mainly lithography and copperplate engraving) that imitate the original Japanese woodblock print. Therefore, the printing style of the work is not that of a woodblock print, but rather a reproduction of ukiyo-e-style art.

Only 300 copies of this work were produced in Berlin in 1912, over 110 years ago, and very few of them remain in Japan. This rare book, which helped spread Utamaro, Sharaku, and ukiyo-e to the world, is currently on display at Ukiyo-e Cafe Tsutaju.