Kurofune kawaraban - Title: Taihei Anmin Gazu - Description: Top half is a detail of Japanese defenses and the bottom half is a view of incoming ships. The print includes images of Dutch ships and American paddle steamers. - Dimensions: 56 x 39 cm, 1854

Kawaraban appeared in various sizes and were mass produced using cheap materials. Thus, although millions were produced at a time, they were not made for preservation and relatively few survive today. The most common topics covered include gossip, crime, natural disasters, and the arrival of Commodore Matthew C. Perry’s ships. Kawaraban specifically about Commodore Perry and his fleet are known as kurofune (black ship) kawaraban. This collection primarily includes kawaraban from the late Edo period (1800-1868) and early Meiji era (1868-1912), with very limited material from the 1920s as well.