Tomioka Eisen

Tomioka Eisen was an artist active between 1864 and 1900. Documentation of his artistic output focuses primarily on works produced during the Meiji period in Japan. His known extant works are generally prints, illustrating the contemporary social and literary scene.

Tomioka Eisen is represented in major international institutions, with six of his known prints held in museum collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art. These prints often served as illustrations or frontispieces for contemporary literature. Notable examples of his illustrative work from the Bugei Kurabu (Literary Club) include A Scolding (Ochiyo), 'Black Ship' (Kurofune), and 'Insurance girl' (hoken musume). Another documented work is the print Lady Kesa, a kuchie (frontispiece) used for a novel.

His work provides documentation of late 19th-century Japanese cultural life, reflecting the rapid modernization of the period. The documentation available, comprising six prints, establishes his role as a contributor to illustrated literary magazines. These historically significant works, which are increasingly available as high-quality prints through public domain initiatives, remain essential references for scholars studying Meiji era illustration.