MASAMITSU Ota. (1892-1975)

Ichikawa Ennosuke as Akutaro. 1949.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Series

Showa butai sugata.

Publisher

Banchoro. Limited ed. No.108.

dai ōban tate-e, 28.5 cm × 41.5 cm

Excellent impression, colour and condition. The light presentation folding line along the left edge is normal with this series.

The actor Ichikawa Ennosuke strikes a defiant pose, clenching a halberd that creates the backdrop of a crescent moon. He plays the eponymous and often inebriated scoundrel, Akutarô. The comic dance-play was adapted from a Noh Kyôgen for the Kabuki stage by Okamura Shikô with choreography and music by Hanaygai Jusuke II and Kneya Sakichi IV, and premiered at the Ichimusara Theatre in June 1924. By 1949, the shadows and soft lighting of the early Kabuki stage were replaced with electric light and the fine printing captures the transformation with precise line work, saturated colours and subtle shading on the costume. 

Signed Masamitsu with artist seal. Series title, role and actor name in the right margin. Publishing/copyright in the lower left. Embossed 108 limited edition bottom left.

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KOSON Ohara (1876-1945)

Tree Sparrow on Plum Branch.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Publisher

Daikokuya.

shikishiban, 26.0 cm × 26.0 cm

Very good impression, colour and condition.

A tree sparrow (passer montanus) sits on the branch of a flowering plum, the fresh blossoms profuse in early February. Something has caught the attention of the bird, recognisable by its chestnut brown head and collar. It stares at the ground with a beady eye, ready to fly away with keen intent. Birds are something of a recurring motif in Koson's output; he produced over 450 designs dedicated to the avian world. Signed and sealed Koson. 

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HASHIMOTO Okiie (1899-1993)

Rainy day at Osaka Castle. 1946.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Series

Kojō jikkei

Publisher

Katō Junji

dai ōban tate-e, 42.3 cm × 31.2 cm

Excellent impression, colour and condition.

Rainy day at Osaka Castle (Ame-bi Ôsaka Shiro) from the series 'Ten Views of Old Castles' (Kojō jikkei, published by Katō Junji in 1946. This is print number eight in the series (No.8 in left margin and the artist's seal lower right).

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Hiroshi Yoshida (1876-1950)

Timber Bay.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Series

The Island Sea- second series

Publisher

Self published

Dai Oban tate-e, 27.5 cm × 40.5 cm

Superb early impression. Excellent colour and condition. Prisitine.

Timber bay, from The Inland Sea - second series. 
(Seto uchi kaishu daini)
signed Yoshida with artist's seal Hiroshi and jizuri (self printed) seal, dated on left margin Showa gonen saku (made in Showa 5 1930)

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Uehara KONEN (1878-1940)

Moonrise

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Publisher

Kobayashi Bunshichi.

otanzaku, 37.0 cm × 16.0 cm

Excellent impression, colour and condition.

A rare pre-1923 Earthquake aizuri. With red artist's seal Konen.

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Ueharu Konen. (1878-1940)

Waterfall.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Publisher

Kobayashi Bunshichi

o-tanzaku, 12.0 cm × 36.0 cm

Very good impression, colour and condition. The blue pigment in the waterfall is often seen with this design.

A rare pre-1923 earthquake ‘aizuri-e’ (blue print) by Ueharu Konen, published by Kobayashi Bunshichi. Kobayashi’s shop was destroyed in the fires following the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake and consequently impressions of this design are scarce. Sealed Konen, with publisher's seal of Kobayashi Bunshichi. Seal numbered 350 pre-1923.

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KOSON Ohara (1876-1945)

Two tits on the branch of a tree. c.1910

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Publisher

Daikokuya

o-tanzaku, 18.7 cm × 33.1 cm

Very good impression, colour and condition.

Koson was a prolific designer of bird and plant pictures, kacho-e. The muted palette of this design is enlivened with the bright red accent of ivy leaves, wrapped around the tree trunk. Koson uses the narrow o-tanzaku format to create an arresting visual perspective with the trees stretching upwards in the winter mist. In the foreground, two tits sit on a branch.

Signed Koson, seal Koson. Reference: Pg. 183 K29.12 Crows, cranes & camellias. Hotei Publishing. ISBN 90-74822-38

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TOSHIKATA Mizuno. (1866-1908)

Jakko-in Temple. 1901.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Publisher

published in Bungei Kurabu.

kuchi-e woodblock, 30.0 cm × 24.0 cm

Finely printed with shômenzuri on the hair and silver pigments. Very good colour. The usual 'magazine' folds with kuchi-e. Very good condition. Kuchi-e are still one of the most undervalued areas of fine Japanese woodblock printing.

Empress Tokuko is depicted in Heian style, her long hair cascading down the back of her twelve layered kimono. She became a nun after her young son Antoku died in the battle of Dannoura. Toshikata creates a strong duality with the sumptuous court robes of Tokuko in the foreground and the background view of her ascetic life with two other nuns at the Jakko-in hermitage. This kuchi-e appeared  in the literary magazine 'Bungei kurabu' as a frontispiece to the novel 'Jakkoin' by Miyake Seiken. Red 'Toshikata' seal.

Reference; Plate 3.6, Pg.44 'Woodblock Kuchi-e Prints: Reflections of Meiji Culture', Helen Merritt ISBN 0-8248-2073-8

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SHINSUI Itō (1898-1972)

Face Powder. 1923.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Series

New Twelve Images of Modern Beauties

Publisher

Shōzaburō Watanabe. First edition 6/200

dai ōban tate-e, 25.6 cm × 43.3 cm

Excellent impression with mica ground and gauffrage on the towel. Very good colour and condition. A rare pre-Earthquake bijin-e.

Shinsui specialised in pictures of beautiful women (bijin-ga) and he became one of the most prolific designers in this genre. The female figure is depicted semi-naked, clutching a jar of face powder. The shimmering blue mica background (highlighted in the picture) draws attention to the figure's pale white flesh and creates the illusion of a steamy spa. 

Signed Shinsui ga with Shinsui seal. Watanabe 6mm A seal (Pre earthquake 1918-1924) Edition 6/200 printed verso. Nihyaku mai kagiri zeppan, dai roku ban (200 limited edition, number 6). 

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KOSON Ohara (1876-1945)

Cawing Crow on a Snowy Branch. c.1930

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Publisher

Nishinomiya Yosaku.

dai-oban, 26.8 cm × 42.4 cm

Excellent impression and condition.

A jungle crow, distinguishable by the thick black plumage and heavy bill, caws on a snow covered branch. The jungle crow is believed to be the messenger of the founding deities in the Shinto religion and a symbol of power in Japanese mythology. Koson creates a desolate winter vista with the grey background in the large dai-oban format. 

Signed Koson. Reference: Pg.171 K5.15 Crows, Cranes and Camelias. Hotei Publishing. ISBN 90-74822-38-x

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KOSON Ohara (1876-1945)

A silhouetted bird. c.1910

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Publisher

Daikokuya.

ō-tanzaku, 19.2 cm × 36.2 cm

Excellent early impression with strong woodgrain. Excellent colour and condition.

The silhouette of a bird, seen through a sheet of rain, flies over a begonia evansiana.

Signed Koson with Koson seal. Reference: Crows, Cranes & Camelias. (without seal) Hotei Publishing. Plate 90. Page 103.

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KOSON Ohara (1876-1945)

Herons Wading. c.1910.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Publisher

Kokkeido (Kokkeido and Koson seals)

o-tanzaku, 18.3 cm × 34.7 cm

Excellent impression and colour. Very faint dust line along the top, otherwise very good condition.

Two grey herons (Ardea cinera) wade through shallow water in the pouring rain, one lifts its head as if to call whilst the second appears to have been distracted by something in the water. Lotus plants float in the water around the birds. Koson has exploited the vertical orientation of the print to emphasise the long neck of the heron. Signed and sealed Koson.

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EISEN Keisai. (1790-1848)

Eijiri, Tamakoto of the Owariya. c.1821.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Series

Board Game of Courtesans. Keisei dôchû sugoroku.

Publisher

Tsutaya Kichizo (Koeido)

oban tate-e, 24.9 cm × 37.0 cm

Excellent impression with fine bokashi over Mount Fuji, omitted in some editions. Excellent colour. Very good condition.

The courtesan Tamakoto of the Owariya wearing a magnificent kimono, lavishly decorated with a dragon emerging from a thick cloud of black smoke surrounding Mount Fuji and ascending the heavens. The wide obi sash was fashionable during the Bunkwa era and sometimes measured an absurd width of twenty-five inches. Tamakoto's obi is decorated with pink peonies. Eisen draws her in a 'crooked' manner, true to the squat like form of Japanese women of this period. This is a marked contrast to the lithe beauties of Utamaro and Eishi. 

Tamakoto is paralleled with a snowscape of Eijiri; a view from the Tokaido (coastal thoroughfare linking Edo with Keishi). Signed Keisai Eisen ga. 

Boston Museum of Fine Arts Impression.

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SHOSON Ohara (KOSON) (1877-1945)

Egret in the Rain. 1928

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Publisher

Watanabe Shôzaburô.

oban tate-e, 26.0 cm × 36.8 cm

Very good, early impression with green colouring on the beak and Watanabe 'sausage' seal lower right. Very good colour and clean condition.

A small egret caught in a heavy downpour. The white plumage of the bird is rendered in beautiful gauffrage (blind printing), in stark contrast to the black background and bold parallel white lines of 'Hiroshige rain'.  Signed Shoson Seal Shoson.

Note: The gauffrage is unusual in this copy, in that there is a barely visible but uniform pattern that runs down the breast of the egret. Hard to say if this is a printing flaw or an attractive anomaly but I have not seen it on other impressions!

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KOSON Ohara (1876-1945)

Monkey on a Branch. c.1910

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Publisher

Daikokuya.

ō-tanzaku, 18.7 cm × 36.5 cm

Excellent impression and colour. Minor fox marks upper margin, barely perceptible, and pencil notation top margin au verso, otherwise very good condition.

A monkey sits on the branch of a tree, underneath a glowing orange persimmon, a canonic subject in Japanese art. The painter, Sosen (1747-1821) founder of the Mori school in Osaka, influenced Koson in style and subject with his depiction of monkeys. Koson's involvement in print production was closely affiliated with his work as a Nihonga painter, and this lends to the painterly quality of his work. Here he exploits the woodgrain of the block to add texture to the background.

Signed Koson, sealed Koson. 

ref: Plate 30, Page 57. Newland, Perree, Schaap "Crows, Cranes and Camelias" 

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Tsuruta Goro 1890 - 1969

A winter scene. 1917

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Series

Sketch Club

Publisher

Sketch Club

oban tate-e, 19.0 cm × 28.5 cm

Excellent impression, colour and condition. With extensive mica on the surface.

Goro worked in advertising for the Ajinomoto company in 1910 and lived in Seoul until 1920, where he worked for a Korean newspaper. This particularly atmospheric print is from a series published by the 'Sketch Club', 1917.

Signed Goro in ink. 

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Oda Kazuma (1881 - 1956)

Fireworks in Osaka. 1920.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Series

Views of Osaka

Publisher

Self published

Large dai oban, 33.0 cm × 48.0 cm

Excellent impression, colour and very good condition. A very light crease au verso, not visible at all from the front.

Fireworks from the series Osaka fûkei - Views of Osaka. Lithograph self-published in 1920. Signed and dated in pencil bottom right.

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KIYOMINE Torii. (1786-1868)

The Courtesans Hanamurasaki and Koto Terin of the Tamaya. c.1806

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Series

Customs of Women's Dress.

Publisher

Nishimura Yohachi

oban tate-e, 26.2 cm × 39.8 cm

Very good impression and superb, unfaded colour. Very light mark by the hair pins, a barely perceptible horizontal centrefold and very minor creasing, otherwise very good condition. Full size, untrimmed sheet.

The courtesan Koto Terin slides a sumptuous menire-kosode (cotton padded short sleeved kimono for autumn) onto the shoulders of Hanamurasaki ("Purple Flower"). The garment is decorated with chrysanthemums perhaps in accordance with the Chrysanthemum festival, Choyo.  The broad obi is embroidered with carp and swirling water. The message here is auspicious one as according to Chinese legend, any fish able to leap the waterfall is transformed into a dragon. Carp swimming upstream were also a symbol of strength and endurance, and perhaps a covert reference to the courtesans fortitude in enduring the demands of her employment and the debt-ridden ten year contract to the Tamaya House. 

This is a veritable fashion plate. During the Bunkwa period, the costumes of the high ranking "oiran" courtesans were gorgeous, reaching heights of incomparable luxury and splendour. Signed Kiyomine ga.

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TOYOKUNI III/Utagawa KUNISADA (1786-1865)

Actor Ichimura Uzaemon XIII as Tedai Shigesaburo. 2/1860.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Series

Imayo oshi-e kagami

Publisher

Fujiokaya Keijirô (Shôrindô)

oban, 27.8 cm × 39.0 cm

Excellent, early deluxe impression with embossing and extensive lacquer. Pristine colour and condition.

The actor Ichimura Uzaemon XIII as Tedai Shigesaburo, from the series Mirrors for Collage Pictures in the Modern Style (Imayo oshi-e kagami). Signed Toyokuni ga.

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KUNISADA I/TOYOKUNI III (1786-1865)

Seki Sanjoro III as Chojiya Chobei. 1860

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Series

Mirrors for Collage Pictures in the Modern Style

Publisher

Fujiokaya Keijiro.

Blockcutter

Hori Take.

oban, 27.5 cm × 39.5 cm

Excellent deluxe impression with lacquer, embossing and printed on thick hosho. Pristine colour and excellent condition. Full size.

The actor Seki Sanjuro III as Chojiya Chobei, from the series Mirrors for Collage Pictures in the Modern Style (Imayô oshi-e kagami). Dated 1/1860.

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HANPO Yasuda (1889-1947)

The Destruction of a Russian Flagship. 1904.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Publisher

Sawa Kyujiro.

oban yoko-e triptych, 36.2 cm × 72.4 cm

Very good impression. Script in silver, smoke embellished with gofun. Very good colour and condition. Margins trimmed.

A rare senso-e (war print) in unusual vertical triptych format. The Russo-Japanese War (8th February 1904-5th September 1905) started because of the rival imperial ambitions of Japan and Russia over Manchuria and Korea. On the 12th April 1904 the Russian Admiral Stepan Osipovich Makarov was killed on board the Petropavlovsk when the Russian flagship struck Japanese mines off Port Arthur. Hanho depicts two thirds of the graphic content underwater, with the two mines rising to the surface and subsequent damage to the side of vessel. A flurry of Russian naval officers jump overboard from the sinking ship. MFA impression. Havard Impression.

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YOSHITOSHI Tsukioka. (1839-1892)

The Moon's Four Strings. Semimaru. 8/1891.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Series

One Hundred Aspects of the Moon.

Publisher

Akiyama Buemon.

Engraver

Yoshihisa

oban tate-e, 25.0 cm × 36.4 cm

Very good impression, colour and condition. Beautiful shading on Semimeru's robe, overprinting and brass.

Semimaru, the blind musician, who served the son of Emperor Uda, but in old age lives as a hermit in a dilapidated straw thatched cottage in the mountains near Kyoto. He plays his biwa upon which a crescent moon emblem echoes the luminous moonlight that floods the veranda. Signed Yoshitoshi. Seal Yoshitoshi.

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YOSHITOSHI Tsukioka. (1839-1892)

Shinobugaoka Moon. 1889.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Series

One Hundred Aspects of the Moon.

Publisher

Akiyama Buemon.

Engraver

Enkatsu.

ōban tate-e, 25.2 cm × 37.8 cm

Excellent impression, colour and condition. Beautiful shōmenzuri on the black robe.

The young samurai Gyokuensai stands underneath a crescent moon and shields himself from a zephyr of cherry blossom. He has been viewing cherry blossoms by moonlight (yozakura) at Shinobugaoka. A kimono is hoisted between two trees to act as a shelter. The light wind stirs up the robe which is decorated with plovers taking flight over the waves. Gyokuensai's stance and anxious expression amidst the flurry of petals create a palpable sense of foreboding. Signed Yoshitoshi. Seal Taiso. Reference: Plate 76. John Stevenson, "Yoshitoshi's One Hundred Aspects of the Moon" IBSN 978-0963221803.

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YOSHIDA Hiroshi (1876-1950)

Sarusawa Pond. 1933.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Publisher

Self-printed. "Jizuri" seal.

large ōban tate-e, 27.7 cm × 40.8 cm

Excellent impression, fresh colour and very good condition. Large margins. Tiny pin-sized 'drying hole' and very light mounting remnants au verso.

A quintessential Japanese landscape depicting a five tier pagoda reflected in Sarusawa pond. The cherry blossom tree is in full bloom and figures can be seen approaching a shrine. Yoshida was scrupulous in the printing process exacting high standards and using a wide range of techniques. In this print he blends colours with a grey key block and crops the view with the cascading foliage of a weeping willow tree.

Block signed Yoshida with Hiroshi seal. Pencil signed lower right, with jizuri 'self printed' seal top left, followed by Shôwa hachinen saku 'made in Shôwa 8 (1933)'. 

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YOSHIDA Hiroshi (1876-1950)

The horse turnback at Umagaeshi. 1928.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Publisher

Self-printed. "Jizuri" seal.

large oban tate-e, 27.9 cm × 41.3 cm

Excellent impression, colour and condition. The usual 'drying' holes in the margin.

Pilgrims rest at 'Umagaeshi', Mount Fuji. Umagaeshi means 'horse return' and is the point at which the climbers would alight their horses and continue the ascent by foot. Hiroshi was a keen mountaineer himself and portrayed numerous summits, from the Matterhorn to the Grand Canyon.

Signed Yoshida in block with Hiroshi seal. Pencil signed 'Hiroshi Yoshida' lower left. Jizuri 'self printed' seal upper right, followed by date Showa san nen saku (made in Showa 3/1928) and series and print title Fuji jukkei, Umagaeshi.

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YOSHIDA Hiroshi (1876-1950)

Moonlight of Taj Mahal No.4. 1931

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Publisher

Self Published. Jizuri seal.

ôban yoko-e, 39.2 cm × 28.2 cm

Excellent first state impression. Excellent colour and condition.

Tsukiyo no Taji Maharu, dai-shi (Moonlight Taj Mahal No.4) from Yoshida's six prints depicting the Taj Mahal. Yoshida was a master at creating evocative night time scenes (see catalogue Acropolis at Night). The printing process was as arduous as the day time variations, requiring mulitple blocks. Note the subtle use of green and yellow blocks to capture the refracted light on the marble dome at dusk.

The first state with jizuri seal, followed by work date (showa roku nen saku; made in showa 6/1931) and title 'Tsukiyo no Taji Maharu, daiyon'. Signed 'Hiroshi Yoshida' pencil and Yoshida in block with Hiroshi seal. ref; plate 167 'The Complete Woodblocks of Hiroshi Yoshida. Abe. 1987. MFA Impression

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YOSHIDA Hiroshi (1876-1950)

Evening at the Nigatsudo Temple. 2/1926.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Publisher

Self-printed. "Jizuri" seal.

oban tate-e, 26.0 cm × 38.0 cm

Excellent impression, colour and very good condition. The usual 'drying' holes in the right margin where the print was hung to dry and light paper residue au verso.

A group of pilgrims rest after climbing the long, steep staircase to the Nigatsu-do Temple, known as the "Hall of the Second Month". The temple is located on the hillside of Mount Wakakusa and the balcony offers a magnificent view of the city of Nara. The ornate copper lanterns are lit in the evening and Yoshida revels in the half light of dusk, exploiting the shadowy purple and blue hues of twilight.

Signed Yoshida in block and pencil signed 'Hiroshi Yoshida' lower left. Jizuri 'self printed' seal top right, followed by date Taisho ju-go nen saku (made in Taisho 15/ 1926) and print title Nigatsu-do.

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YOSHIDA Hiroshi (1876-1950)

Chikugo River. 1927.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Publisher

Self Published. Jizuri seal.

oban yoko-e, 43.0 cm × 28.0 cm

Excellent impression, colour and conditon. Two drying holes in the top margin.

Evening at Chukago River, printed in 1927. Jizuri 'self printed' seal, top left margin, followed by date Shôwa 2 nen saka, and the work title Hida Chikugogawa no yûbe. Signed Yoshida in block and pencil signed 'Hiroshi Yoshida' lower left and 'Chikago River' lower right.

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YOSHIDA Hiroshi (1876-1950)

Bamboo Grove. 1939.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Publisher

Self printed "jizuri" seal.

oban tate-e, 24.8 cm × 37.5 cm

Excellent impression and condition. Very fresh colours (this design is often faded)

Hiroshi Yoshida was a keen mountaineer and his landscapes often portray sweeping panoramic vistas like the Grand Canyon and the Matterhorn. The mood is introspective in this pastoral scene, with a view from the sheltered wood of bamboo trees. Jizuri 'self-printed' seal, work date (Showa juyonen saku) and title (Takei Bayashi) in right margin, pencil signed 'Hiroshi Yoshida' and Yoshida in block with Hiroshi seal.

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KUNIYOSHI Ichiyusai. (1798-1861)

Nakamura Utaemon IV as Hidari Kingoro. c.1847

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Publisher

Iba-ya Kyûbei.

aiban yoko-e , 28.3 cm × 22.0 cm

Excellent impression and colour. Restored worm holes, outside the fan in the top and bottom left. A centrefold, otherwise good condition.

An uncut uchiwa-e (fan print) of the actor Nakamura Utaemon IV who plays the sculptor Hidari Jingoro in the play "Kyo-Ningyo". The dance-drama received its premier at the Kawarakiza theatre on the fourth month, 1847. Holding a mallet and chisel, he works on a temple carving of a lion that will come to life and chase the pursuers of his lord's daughter, Princess Izutsu, whom he adopted and raised. 

Singed; Kuniyoshi ga with Murata Mera seal.

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YOSHITOSHI Tsukioka. (1839-1892)

Kobayakawa Takakage Debating with the Tengu of Mount Hiko. 1892.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Series

New Forms of Thirty-six Strange Things.

Publisher

Sasaki Toyokichi

Engraver

Chokuzan.

oban tate-e, 25.9 cm × 35.9 cm

Very good impression, colour and condition. Trimmed margins.

Kobayakawa Takakage (1532-1597), a brilliant military leader, was camped one day with his army on the slopes of Mount Hiko. A cold wind arose, and a Tengu (mythical creature with a long nose) appeared, upset at the disturbance caused by the military presence. The Tengu here wears a dark brown robe, and has a pill box attached to his forehead, part of the traditional tengu attire. Yoshitoshi shows the sudden gust of wind and apparition with striking graphic design. Through swathes cut away, the encampment awning bellows and we see the terrified army falling down in terror. The fearless Kobayakawa sits on his folding stool, ready for his interview with the goblin. Signed Yoshitoshi. Seal Taiso

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YOSHITOSHI Tsukioka. (1839-1892)

The Fever of Taira no Kiyomori. 8/1883

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Publisher

Akiyama Buemon.

Blockcutter

Shiba Sakuragawa Yamamoto (Yamamoto Shinji)

oban triptych, 76.3 cm × 25.2 cm

Excellent, early impression with blind embossing, burnishing and extensive mica. A light fold line on far right and centre, and weak paper spot bottom sheet, slight trimming, otherwise very good condition.

The Heike Monogatari (Tale of the Heike) tells the story of the feud between the Minamoto (Genji) and Taira (Heike), the latter gaining supremacy in 1159, led by Kiyomori, who thereafter ruled as a dictator until his death in 1181.

Kiyomori was tormented by the crimes committed under his tyranny and suffered a fever, so hot, that the water boiled when he bathed. In this vision of hell, he recoils in agony attended by his praying wife and son, with Enma, the King of Hell in the background. The heads of his victims are offered to him on bronze platters. Signed Yoshitoshi, Sealed: Taiso; Block cutter; Yamamoto tô

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TAKEDA Hideo (1944-

Yoritomo raises his Battle Standard. 1985.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Series

Genpei.

Publisher

Self published.

large silkscreen, 66.4 cm × 52.8 cm

Pristine condition.

Yoritomo of the Minamato clan raises the flag of revolt against the Taira clan and marches to Kyoto through the snow. From Hideo Takeda's series depicting the Genpei Wars (1180-1185) which is without doubt one of the great modern series of Japanese Prints. He exhibited at the British Museum in The Japanese Cartoon Tradition, 1993.

Pencil signed. Edition of 200.

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Yuichiro Kato (1926-

Bamboo Forest in Autumn. 1973.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Publisher

Self published.

silkscreen, 35.0 cm × 48.5 cm

Excellent condition. Tipped to original presentation folder. Edition 87/150.

Yuichiro Kato is a Kyoto based artist and creates beautiful prints in the silkscreen medium. This is an early print in his career. He started out as a photographer and his superb technical craft captures the precision of the lens as well as great sensitivity and refined aesthetics.

Pencil signed Y. Kato, dated 1973, edition 87/150. 

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KOSON Ohara (1876-1945)

White Fronted Goose. c.1910

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Publisher

Kokkeido. Kokkeido and Koson seals.

o-tanzaku yoko-e, 35.6 cm × 20.0 cm

Excellent early impression and excellent condition. Full margins.

A white fronted goose soars in front of the full moon. Koson was a prolific designer of kachoga-e (pictures of birds and flowers) and the majority of his output was devoted to this medium. This print exemplifies his fine design, muted palette and painterly effect. Signed Koson, sealed Koson. Kokkeidō seal.

Reference: Crow, Cranes and Camelias. Pg. 183 K.11.7 Hotei Publishing. IBSN 9789004181069.

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HASUI Kawase. (1883-1952)

Snow at Itsukushima. 1932.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Publisher

Shōzaburō Watanabe.

ōban yoko-e, 39.6 cm × 27.2 cm

Excellent impression, colour and condition.

The torii and stone lantern at Itsukushima Shrine in the Hiroshima prefecture. The printers have used the technique baren-suji to recreate the impression of a snow blizzard by applying pressure to the hard bamboo edge of the circular pad used to apply colour. The swirling lines are evident in the blue sky.

Signed Hasui with Kawase seal. Date inscription in the left margin reads 'shōwa shichinen junigartsu saku', Work of December 1932. Shōzaburō Watanabe sausage seal in the right margin used 1929-1942.

Literature: Plate 287, The Complete Woodblocks of Kawase Hasui. IBSN 978-9074822466

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YOSHIDA Hiroshi (1876-1950)

A Gate to the Stupa of Sanchi. 1932.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Series

Tonan Aija.

Publisher

Seal: Hiroshi "Jizuri". Self printed.

ôban tate-e, 25.0 cm × 38.0 cm

Superb, early impression, excellent colour and condition.

The Eastern Gate to the Stupa of Sanchi, central India near the Betwa river. The gate is adorned with elephants that relate to Maya's dream of an elephant on the moon before she gave birth to the Buddha. The figure of the yakshi maiden hangs below the architrave. They are the custodians of buried treasures, hidden in the earth and the roots of trees. Yoshida has portrayed two men and a women sitting barefoot on the ground, their Khussa slippers cast to one side. The brightly coloured figures, shadows and purple hue in the sky suggest the strong sunlight of late afternoon. An avid traveller, Hiroshi Yoshida visited India in 1931. Signed Yoshida in block with Hiroshi seal. Pencil signed Hiroshi Yoshida. Jizuri 'self-printed'seal upper right, followed by date Showa shichi nen saku (showa 7/1932) and work title.

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YOSHIDA Hiroshi (1876-1950)

The Acropolis at Night. 1925.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Series

Europe Series.

Publisher

Self printed "jizuri" seal.

oban yoko-e, 41.0 cm × 28.5 cm

Excellent impression, and colour. Early brown jizuri seal. Minor thin spot upper right corner, otherwise very good condition.

Hiroshi Yoshida, one of the foremost designers of "shin hanga" (new print) landscape,  travelled to Greece in 1925 and sketched the acropolis. He designed a series of prints, depicting the ruin in the varying light of morning, noon and night. Signed Yoshida in block with artist's red seal Hiroshi below. Date Taisho juyonen saku (work of Taisho 14 1925) followed by the title of the work Azensu no koseki in the left margin with an early brown jizuri seal in the right margin.

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YOSHIDA Hiroshi (1876-1950)

Hodakayama. 1926.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Series

Twelve Scenes in the Japan Alps.

Publisher

Self printed "jizuri" seal.

dai ōban yoko-e, 39.8 cm × 29.1 cm

Excellent impression, colour and condition. A particularly subtle printing of this design. Unusually large margins. An early impression (probably trial print) with large brown jizuri seal.

Yoshida was a keen mountaineer and often portrayed summits throughout his output. He climbed the Japan Alps for two months every summer and loved Hodakayama so much that he named his son Hodaka after this panoramic view.

Signed Yoshida in block with Hiroshi seal. Brown first state 'jizuri' seal top right margin. Work and series title underneath 'Nihon Arupusu jûni dai no uchi' Hodakayama from Twelve Scenes in the Japan Alps. Taisho Ju-Go Nen Saku (1926) in the left margin.

Literature; Plate 29 Page 51. 'The Complete Woodblock Prints of Yoshida Hiroshi' by Tadao Ogura. IBSN 978-4872421217.

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YOSHITOSHI Tsukioka. (1839-1892)

Omori Hikoshichi Encounters a Demon. 1889.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Series

New Forms of Thirty-six Strange Things.

Publisher

Matsui Eikichi.

Engraver

Hori Yu.

ōban tate-e, 25.4 cm × 36.8 cm

Very good impression, colour and condition. Attractive oxidisation of the red robe. Large margins.

According to Japanese legend, a shadow shows a supernatural creatures true nature, so a ghost can be revealed by a shadow cast on a shoji screen, or the reflection in a mirror or water.

Omori Hikoshichi, who has been victorious at the battle of Minogatawa 1336, meets a beautiful woman dressed in sumptuous robes. The gallant officer offers to carry this damsel in distress across a stream. The moon is behind them, and Omori sees the horned shadow which is cast on the water, revealing her true demonic identity. Omori reaches for his scabbard, here partly obscured by her robes, and kills her.

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KOSON Ohara (1876-1945)

Kingfisher with Lotus Flower.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Series

n/a

Publisher

Nishinomiya Yosaku.

dai-ôban tate-e, 26.5 cm × 45.0 cm

Excellent impression, colour and condition. The lotus flower is embossed.

A kingfisher, dwarfed by a white lotus flower in full bloom, alights a bent twig and watches the shallow water with keen intent. 

Koson seal. Copyright owned by Nishinomiya Yosaku in the left margin. This edition without the Koson signature is likely to be from the 1940's. Provenance: Robert Muller Collection.

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SOZAN Ito. (1884-?)

Snowy Egret on Willow Branch. c.1920

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Publisher

Watanabe Shōzaburō.

o-tanzaku, 17.7 cm × 38.4 cm

Very good impression, colour and condition.

A snowy egret on a willow branch during a storm. Signed and sealed Sozan.

Another copy can be found at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.

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YOSHITOSHI Tsukioka. (1839-1892)

Kiyohime Changes into a Serpent at Hidaki River. 1/1890.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Series

36 Ghosts.

Publisher

Sasaki Toyokichi.

Engraver

Enkatsu.

ôban tate-e, 24.2 cm × 36.0 cm

Excellent impression of the first state. Mica in the sky, atenashi bokashi shading around the moon. Some trimming, and a slight movement of red around the collar, otherwise very good condition.

Kiyohime fell madly in love with a handsome priest Anchin.  He could not reciprocate her worldly passion and in spite of promising to return, he forgets her. Kiyohime's joy turns into hateful anger and she decides to pursue her unrequited love. She finds herself unable to cross the Hidaki river in flooding and overcome with burning rage, turns into a serpent and swims to the other side. She emerges from the water, her back metamorphosing underneath the soaked snake-scale robe and grips her hair with grim resolution. The falling cherry blossom suggest that death is imminent. Anchin is at the Dojoji temple and sees the snake. He hides under a giant bronze temple bell but Kiyohime finds him and coils her serpent body around the bell. In the throes of her white hot fury, it melts and kills them both.

Signed Yoshitoshi, seal Taiso. Ref Plate 11 Pg 104 Yoshitoshi's Strange Tales. John Stevenson. Hotei Publishing.

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TAKEDA Hideo (1944-

Tattooed Man. 1985.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Series

Mon Mon.

Publisher

Self-published. Edition 64/150.

Large silkscreen., 43.7 cm × 59.4 cm

Very good condition. A discolouration to the back of the paper au verso possibly from a previous mounting, invisible from the front.

Mon Mon is a series of prints in which Takeda employs tattoos as a theme and explores his fascination with pattern. A naked man perches on a portable heater, evidently warming all of his extremities. A self-described 'cartoonist', Takeda exhibited in The Japanese Cartoon Tradition at the British Museum in 1993.

Pencil signed Hideo Takeda, edition 64/150.

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YOSHITOSHI Tsukioka. (1839-1892)

Moon and Smoke. Enchû no tsuki. 2/1886

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Series

One Hundred Aspects of the Moon.

Publisher

Akiyama Buemon.

Blockcutter

Yamamoto.

oban tate-e, 24.8 cm × 36.5 cm

Very good impression with splattered lead very good colour and condition. Slightly trimmed.

A fireman stands in front of a blazing inferno holding aloft his standard, called a matoi. The heavy, quilted jacket bears characters which indicates he belongs to 'Troop Number One'. In the distance amidst the flames, a fireman from a rival company can be seen holding a different standard. One of the best designs from this series. Signed Yoshitoshi. Seal Taiso.  

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BIHO Takahashi/Yoshikuni (1873-?

Crows in a Snowstorm. c.1910/20

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Publisher

shikishiban, 25.1 cm × 23.9 cm

Very good impression, colour and condition. Splashed gofun to create the snow blizzard.

Takahashi Biro had a brief foray into kacho-e (pictures of nature), with only a few recorded designs. This striking depiction of crows flying through a snowstorm is reminiscent of Zeshin's design of crows flying into the sunset. Signed Biho with artist's seal.

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Shibata Zeshin. (1807-1891)

Crows in Flight at Sunset. 1888.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Publisher

shikishiban, 25.3 cm × 23.7 cm

Excellent impression, colour and condition. Fine gradation of the bokashi.

One of Zeshin's most iconic designs, printed pre-1900. Signed “hachijûichi okina Zeshin – 81-year-old man Zeshin”, with artist’s seal “Zeshin”.

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SHUNMAN Kubo (1757-1820)

A Beauty with the Actor Bando Mitsugoro III. c.1812.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Publisher

Privately published.

surimono shikishiban, 17.7 cm × 20.2 cm

Excellent impression, embellished with extensive silver detail. Excellent colour. Good condition. Some thinning to the paper at the edges.

A rare surimono (printed thing) portraying the acclaimed actor Bando Mitsugoro III smoking a kisari pipe in front of a hibachi fire bowl. The beautiful woman holds a Keshō-mawashi sumo loin cloth upon which kaminari (thunder) is inscribed. Bando Mitsugoro III played the wrestler Kaminari Tsurunosuke in the play "Sugata no Hana Azuma no Datezome", performed at the Ichimura theatre 3/1812.

A witty kyoka verse by Kinshiro Kazutomo imagines the New Year emblems of a warbler and plum blossom pitted against one another in a sumo match. 

Hatsu haru no / ôzeki to matsu / miedasuki / oshidashi no kiku / ume ni uguisu

(thanks to Alfred Haft for the translation) 

Red Shunman seal. Unidentified seal verso.

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EISEN Keisai. (1790-1848)

Two lovers. c.1822-5

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Series

The Secret Language of Courtesans. Keisei higo.

Publisher

privately published.

oban yoko-e, 26.3 cm × 38.1 cm

Very good impression and condition. Excellent colour.

In this abuna-e (risky picture) from 'The Secret Language of Courtesans', two lovers are smoking. The woman is holding her pipe in a highly suggestive manner with the intent of teasing both her companion and the viewer. Their kimonos are tantalisingly entwined and the woman has a wad of tissues stashed in her obi, ready for the imminent throes of passion.

Literature: Plate 60 Pg.168 Uhlenbeck/Winkel, Japanese Erotic Fantasies, 2005 IBSN 9074822665.

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YOSHITOSHI Tsukioka. (1839-1892)

The Rescue of Oshichi. 1885

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Series

Eight Vertical Diptychs.

Publisher

Matsui Eikichi.

vertical ōban diptych, 25.2 cm × 74.2 cm

Excellent impression with mica and excellent colour. A reinforced small crease (now flattened), small repair to the matoi and tiny bleed of the red seal, otherwise very good condition.

From a superb set of eight vertical diptychs by Yoshitoshi. Oshichi descends a ladder held by a fireman. She fell in love with the handsome temple page, Saemon, whom she met at the Enjoji temple while seeking refuge during a great city inferno. In the hope they might meet again, she set fire to her home a year later. She was punished for her arson and burnt at the stake. In alternate Kabuki versions, Oshichi is portrayed in a more virtuous light, climbing the fire tower to ring the alarm bell and save her lover. The penalty for a false alarm, however, was death. Signed Oju Yoshitoshi.

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YOSHITOSHI Tsukioka. (1839-1892)

Roshichin in a drunken rage smashing the guardian figure at the temple on Five-Crested Mountain. 1887.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Publisher

Hasagawa.

vertical ōban tate-e diptych, 26.5 cm × 74.2 cm

Very good impression with extensive kirazuri (mica), tsuyazumi (black lacquer). Pristine colour. Excellent condition with full margins.

Roshichin demolishes the gate at the temple of the Five-Crested Mountain. The military captain was a roguish character. After commiting murder, he escapes the death penalty by agreeing to become a priest at the temple. The incorrigible Roshichin returns one night in a drunken stupor. He stumbles into the temple gate and as the whole edifice tumbles to the ground, he attacks the terrifying guardian figure looming above him.

Roshichin is a popular character from Suikoden (The Water Margin), the seminal Chinese work regaling the exploits of a group of brigands in the Northern Provinces, retold in a popular Japanese novel in 1823. He is depicted here in the usual virile way: hirsute and his torso covered in a cherry blossom tattoo.

The publisher Hasagawa purchased the blocks from Heikichi in 1887 and his name and address are in the lower left margin. The red seal in the top margin reads 'reproduction not permitted'. Signed Yoshitoshi with Taiso seal. To the left the engraver seal Negishi Chokuzan tô.

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KUNISADA II Utagawa (1823-1880)

Actor Segawa Kikunojô V as the Cat Witch. 5/1852.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Series

The Book of Eight Dog Heroes. Hakkenden inu no sôshi no uchi

Publisher

Tsutaya Kichizo.

oban tate-e, 24.4 cm × 35.2 cm

Very good impression, colour and condition. Slightly trimmed.

The actor Segawa Kikunojô V in the role of Nun Myôchin, the cat witch. The monster appears in the novel "Hakkenden" by Bakin in which eight long-lost brothers, all borne of Princess Fusehime and a dog" yatsufusa", search for one another. A kabuki version was premiered at the Ichimuraza Theatre, the first month of 1852. 

This scene is the dramatic highlight of the play. The monstrous cat murders the father of the dog hero 'inamura Kakutarô' and then assumes his likeness. He enters the stage to greet Kakutarô's wife, but the hairy body and huge claws of his true identity can be seen behind the gauze curtain. Death is imminent, suggested by the falling cherry blossoms, and the monster is moved to murder. Signed Ichiyosai Kunisada ga.

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KIYOCHIKA Kobayashi. (1847-1915)

Girl with an Umbrella. A Beauty from the An'ei Era. 1896.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Series

Hana Moyo. Flower Designs

Publisher

Kokkeido.

oban triptych, 76.0 cm × 25.0 cm

Very good impression and condition. Good colour. Full size.

A beauty from the An'ei Era (1772-1781) holds a bran bag 'nukabukuro' between her teeth as she puts up her orange parasol at the onset of rain. She is making her way to the bathhouse with her hair is tied up in the bai-mage style. The series title hana implies elegance, while moyo are the beauties themselves. Signed Kiyochika with seal.

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KIYOCHIKA Kobayashi. (1847-1915)

Seiei naru waga gun Taiwan Bokoto o senryo suru. 1895.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Publisher

Matsuki Heikichi. (Daikokuya)

ôban triptych, 75.9 cm × 38.7 cm

Excellent impression with strong visible woodgrain. Very good condition.

In this senso-e (war print), Kiyochika portrays The Japanese Army capturing the Pescadore Islands, Taiwan on March 23rd 1895; a swift military campaign at the close of the Sino-Japanese War. The attack took place at nighttime and the silhouettes of soldiers and the gun shots and puffs of smoke are discernable along the black mountainside. The glare from the emblazoned town of Magongcheng in the background bathes the surface of the water in a grey and orange glow, in which we see the reflection of the battle and the graphic zig-zags of the fired artillery. 

Signed Kiyochika with Kiyo seal.

Literature: Plate 58 Japan at the Dawn of the Modern Age. MFA Publications. ISBN 87846-619-3

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KUNIYOSHI Ichiyusai. (1798-1861)

Last Stand of the Kusunoki Heroes at Shijo-Nawate. 1851.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Publisher

Fujioka-ya Keijirô.

oban triptych, 76.1 cm × 38.6 cm

Excellent impression and very good condition, full size sheets.

Amidst an onslaught of arrows, the Kusonoki clan fight stoically against desperate odds. Heavily wounded, their blue faces are pallid with the imminence of death. Wada Shinbochi (Genshu) leads the way, brandishing enemy heads as trophies, followed by Masatomo with a ravaged battle standard. Their leader, Kusunoki Masatsura, has fallen to the ground and is propped against the fallen horse. Two slain samurai can be seen in the middle distance. Signed Ichiyusai Kuniyoshi ga.

Ref; Plate 32 pg 92-93 Kuniyoshi Timothy Clark IBSN 9781905711406

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YOSHITOSHI Tsukioka. (1839-1892)

Moon over Daimotsu Bay. 1/1886.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Series

One Hundred Aspects of the Moon.

Publisher

Akiyama Buemon.

Blockcutter

Enkatsu.

ōban tate-e, 25.2 cm × 37.4 cm

Very good impression, mica on the waves. Not from an album so no offsetting from Kikaku plate around Benkei. Large margins lightly soiled and minimally toned, otherwise very good condition.

Yoshitsune no Minamoto led a decisive victory at the Battle of Dannoura in 1185, whereupon warriors of the rival Taira clan drowned in the straits of Shimonoseki. Yoshitsune is subsequently outlawed by his half-brother Yoritomo and forced to flee Kyoto by sea with his retainer, Benkei. They encounter a tempestuous storm, summoned by the vengeful spirits of the Taira clan. 

Benkei stands at the prow of the boat dressed as a mountain ascetic yamabushi and offers Buddhist prayers and spells to quell the ghostly apparitions that emerge from the crests of the waves. Signed Yoshitoshi, seal Taiso.

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YOSHITOSHI Tsukioka. (1839-1892)

The moon through a crumbling window (Haso no tsuki). 6/1886.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Series

100 Aspects of the Moon.

Publisher

Akiyama Buemon

Engraver

Yamamoto

oban tate-e, 24.7 cm × 36.7 cm

Very good impression, colour and excellent condition. Attractive oxidation to the robe normal with expensive pigments.

Bodhidharma (Daruma in Japanese), founder of Zen Buddhism, meditates in a cave for nine years after being refused entry to the Shaolin Monastary. He cut off his eyelids in anger, after falling asleep two years into the meditation. Tea plants grew where they fell and the vines cling and creep around the crumbling walls. This is why people believed tea kept you awake.

Signed Yoshitoshi seal Yoshitoshi no in. Printed 1 June 1886. Engraver Yamamoto. Ref; John Stevenson. Plate 30 Yoshitoshi's 100 Aspects of the Moon. IBSN 978-0963221803

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YOSHITOSHI Tsukioka. (1839-1892)

Akazome Emon viewing the moon from her palace chambers. 1887.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Series

100 Aspects of the Moon.

Publisher

Akiyama Buemon.

oban tate-e, 25.0 cm × 36.5 cm

Very good impression, colour and condition. Robe and poem cartouche embossed. Unbacked and ample margins.

The Heian poetess Akazome Emon at the end of a long sleepless night, anxiously awaiting the arrival of her lover. Her poem reads: “I wish I had gone to bed immediately - but now the night has passed and I watch the moon descend.”

Signed Yoshitoshi, seal Taiso. Ref: Stevenson, John, "Yoshitoshi's One Hundred Aspects of the Moon" Plate 44.

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HASHIMOTO Okiie (1899-1993)

Wakayama Castle. 1949.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Publisher

Self published.

woodblock, 57.8 cm × 41.4 cm

Excellent impression with strong woodgrain from plywood blocks. Excellent colour and very good condition.

Wakayama castle is depicted with bold geometric patterns from a courtyard perspective by one of the finest sosaku-hanga (creative-print) artists, Hashimoto Okiie. He studied western-style oil painting at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts, but experimented with print making, eventually achieving his greatest successes in this area. Signed Okiie Hashimoto in pencil, dated 1949. Signed in block Okiie Hashimoto saku (work of Hashimoto Okiie) with red 'Hashi' seal lower right hand corner.

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Kasamatsu Shirô. (1898-1991)

Sunset on Furutone river (Furutonekawa sekiyō)

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Series

Eight Views in the Suburbs of Tokyo.

Publisher

Watanabe Shōzaburō.

ôban yoko-e, 38.2 cm × 26.4 cm

Very good impression, colour and condition.

The sunset over Tone river signed Shiro with artist's seal lower left. The work title Ko Tonegawa yuhi, followed by the series title Tōkyō kinkō hakkei no uchi, and the date Showa 14 years, first month (1939). Published by Watanabe Shozoburo with the sausage seal (1929-1942), which reads 'copyright ownership Watanabe Shozaburo'. 

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SHŌTEI Takahashi. (Hiroaki). (1871-1945)

Mount Fuji from near Ômuro. 12/1929.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Series

Shiki no Fuji.

Publisher

Fusui Gabo.

ōban yoko-e, 39.8 cm × 24.1 cm

Very good impression with extensive gauffrage. Very good colour and condition. Extremely light remnants of mounting au verso.

A magnificent view of Fuji in the snow in a rare ōban size print by Shôtei. One of the artist's finest works.

Signed Hiroaki with Shôtei seal. Title Ômuro fukin in the right margin.

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KOSON Ohara (1876-1945)

Man Washing a Horse. c 1900-1910.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Publisher

Kokkeidō

yoko tanzaku, 38.1 cm × 12.7 cm

Excellent impression, colour and condition.

A man washes his horse, silhouetted by the moonlight. A willow branch extends over the shallow water. 

Koson designed several silhouette prints in the narrow tanzuku format. Signed Koson, seal Koson and the pre-1910 Kokkeidō seal. 

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KYOSAI Kawanabe. (1831-1889)

Crow on a Branch. c.1901.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Publisher

octagonal fan print, 22.2 cm × 28.4 cm

Very good impression, colour and condition. A centrefold which is common with fan prints.

This octagonal kacho-ga (bird and flower) design would have been pasted on to an uchiwa fan for decoration. Kyosai's style is reminiscent of the painter Maruyama Okyo (1733-1795) and the technique mokkotsu, when ink washes rather than contour lines are used to describe form. 

Kyosai was an extraordinary draughtsman. At an exhibition in 1877, he sent a simple painting of a crow with an extortionate price tag. Kyosai explained that "it was not the price of a common crow, but a small fraction of the price of the fifty years of study that had enabled him to dash off his picture in this manner." With superb skill, the printers and engravers have recreated an impression of comparable spontaneous aplomb. Signed Kyosai with the artist's seal.

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SOZAN Ito. (1884-?)

Heron Chasing Fish in the Rain. c.1919-1926

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Publisher

Shozoburo Watanabe.

chuban tate-e , 17.0 cm × 24.3 cm

Very good impression, and condition. Slight toning. Gauffrage on the feathers, and silver metallic pigment for the rain.

Ito Sozan was a designer of fine kacho-e (pictures of birds and plants) but is still, to this day, in the shadow of his contemporary Ohara Koson. The publisher, Shozoburo Watanabe, dropped Sozan in favour of Koson for reasons that remain a mystery.

Sozan's designs are derived from Meiji style kacho, and in this example, a heron chases fish in the rain. Signed Sozan, with Sozan seal.

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YOSHITAKI Utagawa. 1841-1899

Keisai Jiraiya Monogatari 2/1874

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Series

n/a

Publisher

n/a

chuban diptych, 38.5 cm × 25.8 cm

Excellent impression of the deluxe state with mica, black lacquer and silver. Excellent colour. Retains light album backing, sheet joined, a very light fold line. Otherwise very good condition.

The actor Jitsukawa Enjaku I in the play 'Keisai Jiraiya Monogatari' performed at the Chikugo-za, Osaka 2/1874. A Kabuki adaptaion of 'The Tale of the Gallant Jiraiya', Jiraiya, skilled in toad magic, is confronted by the serpent magic of Orochimaru (son of the Giant Snake). 

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Ichiyusai KUNIYOSHI (1797-1861)

Yûgiri. Evening Mist. c.1845/6

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Series

Ukiyo-e Parallels for the Cloudy Chapters of the Tale of Genji.

Publisher

Ise-ya Ichibei.

oban tate-e, 24.0 cm × 36.0 cm

Very good impression, colour and condition.

In this series, a chapter from Genji monogatari is paired with a scene from history, or the kabuki stage. The actor Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII takes on the role of Kinugawa Tanizô, a retired sumo wrestler and now loyal retainer to Lord Yorikane. He despatches two assailants, henchmen to the evil Nikki Danjô, who attempt to murder Yorikane at Hanamizu bridge. Inside the scroll, the landscape of a moon and mountain shrouded in mist alludes to the name of Genji's son, Yûgiri. 

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KOYGO Tsukioka. (1867-1927)

Shozon. 1927.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Series

Noga taikan. A Great Mirror of Noh Pictures.

Publisher

Seibi Shoten.

oban yoko-e, 38.0 cm × 26.0 cm

Very good impression with silver and very good condition. Complete with original print cover.

The priest Tosa Shozon has been sent from Kamakura with orders from Shogun Yoritomo to kill his brother, Yoshitsune. When he arrives at Yoshitsune's palace, Shozon insists he is on a religious pilgrimage, but Yoshitsune is not convinced, and demands the priest sign a loyalty oath, presented to him here by his retainer, Benkei. Shozan enjoys an evening of festivities, but his murderous intent is thwarted at the point of attack.

Signed Kogyo with artist's seal.

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KŌGYO Tsukioka. (1867-1927)

Sagi (The Heron) 1926

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Series

One Hundred Noh Plays. Noh Ga Taikan

Publisher

Seibi Shoin

ôban yoko-e, 37.4 cm × 25.4 cm

Excellent impression, colour and condition. Original cover sheet and print information.

The ghost of the white heron performs the Noh dance Sagimidare. On a winter's morning by a lake in the Imperial garden (Shinsen-en), the emperor sees a white heron (shite) and demands the bird be captured. At first, the terrified heron flies away, but realises that the order has come from the emperor and returns to perform a celebratory dance.

Signed Kōgyo with artist's seal.

Literature: The Beauty of Silence. Hotei Publishing. IBSN 9789004193857

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KŌGYO Tsukioka. (1867-1927)

Fujito. 4/1927.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Series

Noh Ga Taikan.

Publisher

Seibi Shoin.

oban yoko-e, 25.4 cm × 35.6 cm

Excellent impression and condition. Complete with original print cover.

The Genji commander, Sasaki no Saburô Moritsuna, duped a fisherman into showing him the way across a perilous river so that he could surprise his enemy in battle. He murders the fisherman to ensure complete secrecy. After victory at the battle of Fujito, Moritsuna's crime comes back to haunt him. When he goes to claim his fiefdom, the mother of the fisherman accuses him of murder and begs for her son's return. The ghost of the fisherman appears as Moritsuna offers prayers. Here we see the ghostly apparition lamenting his murder before attaining salvation.

Signed Kogyo with seal. Printed 15th April 1927.

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KŌGYO Tsukioka. (1867-1927)

Akogi. April 1927.

Category

Japanese | 20th Century

Series

No ga taikan. A Great Mirror of Noh Pictures.

Publisher

Seibi Shoin.

ōban yoko-e, 35.8 cm × 25.1 cm

Excellent impression, colour and condition. Baren marks are used to great effect to convey the field. Original cover sheet and print information.

The ghost of a fisherman stands in a field, a straw fishing net to his left. The print depicts the "Akogi" dance from the Noh play by Zeami Motokiyo (1363-1444).

Fishing is considered a mortal sin in shinto Buddhism. An elderly fisherman poaches in order to survive and to add insult to injury, he dares to fish at Akogi Bay in the sacred domain of the Ise shrine. As a result he is put to death by drowning. His ghost appears to a priest at the Ise shrine to seek salvation and laments on his restless wandering in hell. The purgery of sin and subsequent salvation is a common theme in Noh theatre.

Signed Kōgyo with artist's seal.

Literature: The Beauty of Silence. Hotei Publishing. IBSN 9789004193857

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