Kobayashi Kiyochika (Japanese, 1847–1915) was a self-taught printmaker and painter best known for capturing the dramatic transformation of Tokyo during Japan’s Meiji period (1868–1912). Working at the intersection of tradition and modernity, he fused ukiyo-e techniques with Western-influenced light and shadow to depict steam trains, gaslights, warships, and shifting cityscapes. His prints chronicle the uneasy arrival of industrial modernity with atmospheric precision.
