Near the end of the 19th century, Japan was in the throws of massive cultural change: trade with the Western world, the spread of the telegraph, and major military growth sparked the Meiji period. Japanese art was also in flux, with a new style known as Yōga introducing Western techniques. But tradition runs deep in Japan, and a counter-style developed, called Nihonga, defined by a return to centuries-old artistic mediums, techniques and compositions. Nihonga is not really a movement, it’s closer to a philosophy, and as such it persists to this day.
