The University of Pittsburgh Library System (ULS) owns and curates the largest collection of Japanese color woodblock prints depicting the Noh theatre created by the artist Tsukioka Kōgyo (1869-1927) held outside of Japan. The four sets comprise Nōgaku zue 能樂圖繪, or Pictures of Noh; Nōgaku hyakuban 能楽百番, or Prints of One Hundred Noh Plays; Nōga taikan 能画大鑑, or A Great Collection of Prints of Noh Plays; and Kyōgen gojūban 狂言五十番, or Fifty Kyōgen Plays. For each distinct set, you will find contextual essays and links to Browse & Search the prints in the ULS Digital Collections site.

You can visit our complete collection of Noh prints at this site. The site contains 632 prints from our four sets that depict the same Noh and Kyōgen play, along with English summaries of Noh play provided by P.G. O’Neill titled A Guide to Nō. Hinoki Shoten, 1964.

The Barry Rosensteel Japanese Print Collection was donated to the University of Pittsburgh Library System by Mr. and Mrs. Barry Rosensteel. The collection consists of 312 wood block prints. While the earliest print dates to 1730, most of the prints were produced in the 1800s, while others were created in the 1900s. The work of over forty artists is represented in the collection.

This splendid collection of woodblock prints presents a glimpse of the Edo Japanese culture through meticulously reconstructed landscapes (meishoe 名所絵), portraits of various sorts—women (bijinga 美人画), actors (yakushae 役者絵), warriors (mushae 武者絵)—wildlife paintings (kachōga 花鳥画), and erotic paintings (shunga 春画, not included in the digital collection), showcasing some of Japan’s rich art history. A set of prints depicting Chinese scenes, relatively small in quantity, also add another interesting dimension to the collection.