The Edo period (1615-1868) was an age of political stability and economic prosperity in Japan. Authoritarian rule enforced the isolation of the country from the rest of the world and mandated a rigid class structure in an attempt to prevent change. But the attempt was futile. Large metropolitan centers grew, and the rise of an affluent mercantile class did bring enormous change in society just as new patrons brought significant change to the arts. The years from 1600 to 1850 were the most innovative for Japanese painting with more than a dozen schools continuing revered traditions or exploring new directions. The best of both these aspects are richly represented in the Shin'enkan Collection, assembled over thirty years by Mr. and Mrs. Joe D. Price.

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