Nobility Enjoying the Cooling Air on a Summer Evening (Kōki nōkyō no zu 高貴納涼ノ図), Yōshū Chikanobu 楊洲周延

In the second half of the nineteenth century, persuaded by a threat of military force, Japan established formal diplomatic ties with the United States; trade agreements with several Western countries followed, and the port town of Yokohama was selected to support the import-export trade. "Yokohama prints" flourished briefly in the early 1860s as a medium intended to demystify the customs of the foreigners and provide intriguing foreign images for the nearby residents of Edo.

Two triptychs by Toyohara Chikanobu (1838-1912) address different aspects of change: Nobility Taking in the Cool Night Air shows the imperial family experimenting with Western dress; About and Beyond the Outer Precincts of Chiyoda Palace depicts commoners masquerading before the shogunate as an embassy from Korea. Chikanobu comments, perhaps unwittingly, on the power of costume to express cultural mores and political leanings.