Abstract

During the Edo period, the Korean embassy paid 12 courtesy visits to the Tokugawa shogunate. These visit brought about something new in Japanese art. First, the Korean people and their procession resulted in a new form of expression that displayed a kind of exoticism. Second, these visits led to an exchange between Japanese and Korean artists on their views regarding techniques and styles. In this paper, I illustrate the process of the change in the depiction of Korean people in Japanese art. In particular, I focus on the change in the representation of the marching band that attended the embassy. The members of the marching band wore two kinds of attires. The first was a red robe and a hat with plumes and the second, a blue robe and a cap with a red tassel. Although the uniforms of the marching band, as depicted in the works of Ukiyoe painters, were unrealistic, they are not yet become exotic. However, with the passage of time, the uniforms were reproduced in the costume parades and portrayed rather exotically by the Ukiyoe painters. Such portrayal was unreal. In those days, however, the Japanese people regarded and treated the Koreans as foreigners