Introduction: In-Between Temporality and Spatiality: Visual Convergences and Meiji Hybridity

The map works as a visual indicator of changes in the balance of power, and the way the Japanese empire had quickly expanded in the first 30 years of the Meiji period. The nineteenth century brought dramatic changes in the field of cartography throughout the world, and in Japan, new conceptions of landscape and spatiality were an important part of the modernization project. The simultaneous entry of yoga, or Western-style painting, alongside photography shows two arts that specialized in the Western conceptualization of the real and its depiction, a significant contribution to the visual field of Meiji. The visual arts also had a great impact on new ideas of gender and social class: images from the Meiji period show shifts within the imperial family, changes in the working patterns of young men and women, the exclusion of the Ainu inhabitants of Hokkaido, and so on. The chapter also presents an overview on the key concepts discussed in this book.