{"product_id":"utagawa-yoshitora-illustration-of-a-balloon-ascending-fsen-shy-no-zu-november-1872-sticker-vinyl-kiss-cut-decal","title":"Utagawa Yoshitora - Illustration of a Balloon Ascending (Fūsen shōyō no zu) - November, 1872 - STICKER Vinyl Kiss-Cut Decal","description":"Utagawa Yoshitora - Illustration of a Balloon Ascending - Kiss-Cut Sticker Design\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis woodblock print captures the frantic ingenuity of the Meiji era, depicting a massive, manned hot air balloon ascending over the rooftops of Tokyo with onlookers craning their necks below.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eVisual Elements \u0026amp; Composition\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eYoshitora utilizes a bold, high-contrast palette of ochre, deep indigo, and charcoal to frame the balloon as it dominates the vertical composition. The scene is structured with a dramatic, upward-reaching perspective, pushing the eye from the dense, flat geometric lines of traditional Japanese architecture at the bottom toward the rounded, bulbous form of the gas bag overhead. Swirling clouds and crisp, calligraphic linework weave through the mid-section, while a scattering of small human figures anchors the foreground, emphasizing the sheer scale of the aeronautical experiment.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eMeaning \u0026amp; Symbolism\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eProduced in 1872, this print documents Japan’s rapid fascination with Western technology and \"civilization and enlightenment\" (bunmei kaika) during the early Meiji period. The balloon serves as a potent symbol of progress, capturing the cultural obsession with modern marvels that seemed to defy the constraints of the old world. Yoshitora, a student of the legendary Kuniyoshi, uses the triptych format to translate the awe of an urban public encountering the novelty of flight, where the sky is no longer just a backdrop but a frontier of human intervention.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eOn the Kiss-Cut Sticker\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe kiss-cut contour isolates the balloon’s dramatic silhouette from the original print's edges, allowing the design to stand alone as a floating artifact. By trimming to the specific outline of the gas bag and its hanging basket, the sticker transforms this historical woodblock print into a portable, sculptural object that retains the intricate linework of the Meiji-period original while occupying a modern, tactile space on your laptop or journal cover.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Sticker Space","offers":[{"title":"2 Inch \/ Transparent","offer_id":48595665977562,"sku":"TSS-STICK-TGWYSH-2X2-14M4C","price":2.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"2 Inch \/ White","offer_id":48595666010330,"sku":"TSS-STICK-TGWYSH-2X2-174","price":2.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"3 Inch \/ Transparent","offer_id":48595666043098,"sku":"TSS-STICK-TGWYSH-3X3-14M4C","price":2.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"3 Inch \/ White","offer_id":48595666075866,"sku":"TSS-STICK-TGWYSH-3X3-174","price":2.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"4 Inch \/ Transparent","offer_id":48595666108634,"sku":"TSS-STICK-TGWYSH-4X4-14M4C","price":3.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"4 Inch \/ White","offer_id":48595666141402,"sku":"TSS-STICK-TGWYSH-4X4-174","price":3.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"6 Inch \/ Transparent","offer_id":48595666174170,"sku":"TSS-STICK-TGWYSH-6X6-14M4C","price":3.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"6 Inch \/ White","offer_id":48595666206938,"sku":"TSS-STICK-TGWYSH-6X6-174","price":3.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0493\/3949\/8646\/files\/utagawa-yoshitora-illustration-of-a-balloon-ascending-fsen-shy-no-zu-november-1872-sticker-vinyl-kiss-cut-decal-TSS-STICK-TGWYSH-2X2-174-front.webp?v=1789314082","url":"https:\/\/thestickerspace.com\/products\/utagawa-yoshitora-illustration-of-a-balloon-ascending-fsen-shy-no-zu-november-1872-sticker-vinyl-kiss-cut-decal","provider":"The Sticker Space","version":"1.0","type":"link"}