____ references the fascination with Japan and its culture in the late 19th century.

I believe that what you are referring to is known as
Japonism, or Japonisme (the original term in
French). This represents "the craze for Japanese culture and art." Japanese art
influenced famous Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artists such as Vincent Van Gogh,
Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Toullouse-Lautrec, and Paul Gauguin. Japanese "wood-block
prints" were of great interest to the artistic community in Europe. It began with the
Kanagawa treaty between an American delegation and "the Japanese
shogunate government," in 1854. After two-hundred and sixteen years
of isolation, the flow of "Japanese artifacts and handicraft articles" into Europe took
off. Foreign merchants began to travel to Japan and export Japanese art and even
"photography and printing techniques." Even at the Exposition
Universelle in Paris, in 1867, there was a Japanese Exhibit. Soon, having
things Japanese was a sign of style and sophistication.