Kuchi-e refers to the woodblock prints inserted into the fronts of popular literary magazines and novels from 1890-1912. As these publications were typically tall and thin, Kuchi-e woodblocks were designed as fold-outs and were usually folded twice to fit within the closed book, much like one might insert a letter into an envelope. The Japanese word "kuchi-e" literally means "mouth-picture" and translates into English as frontispiece.

To understand the evolution of "kuchi-e" it is necessary to quickly examine the social and political turmoil that occurred in Japan during the last half of the 19th century. Up until the early 1850’s Japan was securely isolated from the western world, but by the end of the decade the country’s borders had been opened and powerful social change began to take place. Within a single generation, Japan began to adopt and imitate many aspects of western culture, including fashion, dance, social and business customs, architecture, and transportation.
During this period Japanese woodblock prints began to be viewed as “old-fashioned” and impractical. The reason for this was twofold: first, because images of traditional Japanese society depicted by woodblocks were now considered out of date; and second, because the advent of western printing methods made traditional woodblock printing comparatively expensive and labor-intensive. As the 20th century approached, woodblock printing was becoming a dying tradition.

The initial impact of modernization caused many Japanese to question their traditional values; however, by the 1890s many Japanese were longing for a return to a more traditional society and the artistic community was no exception. Kuchi-e came about when Japanese artists began to portray a more traditional, or non-western view of the world, as their patrons – publishers - and their patrons’ customers - the public - began to exhibit a lingering affection for woodblock printing.

Kuchi-e woodblocks were not hastily produced and usually displayed remarkably refined printing techniques. It is said their production accounted for nearly half the cost of a book. Their imagery, grounded in the woodblock tradition of bijinga (pictures of beautiful women), perpetuated the traditional Japanese view of feminine beauty. However, Kuchi-e artists were primarily painters, not woodblock artists. Consequently, their depictions of women cut across all stylistic boundaries.

The vast majority of all Kuchi-e deal with the plight and ordeals of Japanese women, since many of these images accompanied romantic novels. Other themes included depictions of customs and rituals, depictions of the four seasons, legends of warriors and samurai, images of wars of the period, and even Kabuki Theater. Yet, it is women, shown at daily tasks, at festivals, in seasonal settings or simply lost in thought, who make Kuchi-e memorable and embody the cultural ideals of the period.

Ultimately, the era of Kuchi-e came to a close as artists began to pass on or devote themselves to painting, as Japanese women were depicted in more modern ways, as writers began to create novels which dealt with more modern issues, as economics again dictated cheaper printing methods, and as modernization continued to take hold. Kuchi-e finally receded into the background, but remained a link between traditional Japan and the beginning of the modern Japan we know today.