MAEDA Masao.. (1904-1974)

Seascape. c.1950

Category

Japanese | Landscape

Publisher

Self-printed.

large dai-oban yoko-e, 41.7 cm × 28.8 cm

Excellent impression, colour and condition.

An atmospheric seascape by the celebrated sosaku-hanga artist Masao Maeda. A rare print.

Artist's seal Ma at the bottom left. Kaneko collectors seal in the lower left corner.

£380

Tsuruta Goro. 1890 - 1969

Fishermen at Kujūkuri

Category

Japanese | Landscape

Publisher

Kato Junji

large oban Yoko-e, 42.0 cm × 31.0 cm

Excellent impression, colour and condition.

Fishermen at Kujūkuri (Kujūkuri no gyofu); a group of muscular naked men pulling a large wooden ship from the shore out to sea, on Kujūkuri beach in the Chiba prefecture. Signed Goro, and published in Autumn 1936. Reference. Waves of Renewal. Hotei Publishing, Plate 144.

£1250

Torii Kotondo 1900-1976

Combing the Hair

Category

Japanese | Beauties

Publisher

Sawai and Kawaguchi

Blockcutter

hori ito, suri komatsu

Dai Oban, 29.4 cm × 46.0 cm

Very good impression, colour and condition. Very minimal toning au verso.

A crouching beauty combs her hair, amidst the swirling blue steam that envelops her naked body, beautifully rendered with a subtle pink outline. Published circa 1930 solely by Kawaguchi, after his split from Sawai. Signed Kotondo saku, with artist's seal Kotondo. Dated Showa yonen jugatsu (Showa 4 (1929), 10th month), title Kamisuki embossed within the bottom margin, publisher's seal Kawaguchi embossed at lower right edge, and hori Ito suri, Komatsu, hanken shoyu (carved by Ito, printed by Komatsu, copyright) at lower left. Embossed limited edition seal hand-numbered on verso, San-hyaku mai kagiri zeppan, dai nijusan go, 23/300

£3750

Torii Kotondo 1900-1976

Yuge. 1926.

Category

Japanese | Beauties

Publisher

Sakai Kawaguchi

dai-oban, 30.0 cm × 47.0 cm

Excellent impression, first state. Excellent colour and condition.

A beauty washes her neck with a towel in a hot spring, onsen. Kotondo uses the technique baren-sujizuri to capture the effect of steam, with swirling marks across the surface of the paper. Kotondo belongs to the Torii line of print makers, and like Kiyonaga, the fourth head of the Torii line, specialises in bijinga-e or beauty prints. Dated, Showa yonen jugatsu (Showa 4 (1929), 10th month) signed Kotondo saku with Kotondo seal. The first state with limited edition hand seal au verso, number 82 of an edition of 200, the publisher's seal Sakai-Kawaguchi go ban.

£4200

YOSHIDA Hiroshi (1876-1950)

Kibatan Parrot. Kibatan ômu.

Category

Japanese | Nature

Series

Dôbutsuen. At a Zoological Garden.

Publisher

Self printed. Jizuri seal

dai-oban tate-e, 28.0 cm × 41.0 cm

Excellent impression, colour and condition. With beautiful blind printing.

An unusual subject for Yoshida from the series At a Zoological Garden, Dôbutsuen. This print depicts the Kibatan parrot. Signed Yoshida in block with Hiroshi seal. Self printed in 1926 by the artist with rust ink coloured Jizuri seal upper left, followed by series, work title and Taisho jugonen saku, Made in 1926. 

£2600

Hiroshi Yoshida (1876-1950)

Obatan Parrot

Category

Japanese | Nature

Series

At a Zoological Garden.

Publisher

Self printed.

dai-oban tate-e, 27.0 cm × 43.0 cm

Excellent impression, with beautiful blind printing on the feathers. Excellent colour. Large margins; lower one very slighly soiled, otherwise very good condition.

Obatan parrot, from the series "Zoological garden'. Signed Yoshida with Hiroshi red seal. Published in 1926, self printed with the jizuri seal, in rust coloured ink upper right, with the date underneath, Taisho jugonen saku, followed by the series and image title. One of the rare animal prints from Yoshida's work. 

£2400

YOSHIDA Hiroshi (1876-1950)

Kurumazaka Parrot

Category

Japanese | Nature

Series

At a Zoological Garden. Dôbutsuen

Publisher

Self printed. Jizuri seal

dai oban tate-e, 28.0 cm × 41.0 cm

Very good impression, colour and condition. Slight soiling in the lower left margin.

Kurumazaka Parrot (Kurumazaka ômu), from the series at a Zoological Garden (Dôbutsuen). Also known as Major Mitchell's Cockatoo. Signed Yoshida, with Hiroshi seal underneath. Jizuri self-printed seal in rust coloured ink lower right, from right to left, series title, followed by Kurumaszaka ômu and Made 1926, Taisho jugonen saku. Title and pencil signature within the image at the bottom. 

£2300

KOSON Ohara (1876-1945)

Autumn grasses, flowers and moon.

Category

Japanese | Nature

Publisher

Daikokuya

o-tanzaku, 18.7 cm × 34.0 cm

Excellent impression, colour and condition. A beautiful Koson design.

A prevailing theme in Japanese art of the moon, viewed through autumn grasses, known by depictions of Musashino Moor (Musashino). This theme was developed by artists through the Momoyama period. (1568-1600), and often explored by ukiyo-e artists, notably in the Musashino beauties triptych by Utamaro. With the red Koson seal.

£650

Katsukawa Shuncho fl. 1780-1801

Lovers. c.1790.

Category

Japanese | Shunga

Publisher

oban tate-e, 37.6 cm × 25.0 cm

Excellent impression, colour and condition. A barely perceptible centrefold.

The restrained colouring is typical of beni-girai, avoiding red-dye, and with a yellow ground. The young man with a head scarf appears distracted. The woman, wearing a stellate printed yukata and clasping her arm, is leaning to the side, eyes closed and in the throes of passion. Unsigned as is usual for Shunga prints. Attributed to Shuncho. 

Please contact the gallery for an uncensored picture.

£1950

EISEN Keisai. (1790-1848)

Lovers reclining on a futon.

Category

Japanese | Shunga

Publisher

oban Yoko-e, 38.0 cm × 25.0 cm

Excellent impression and very good colour. Some turning of the purple to brown. A centrefold and expertly repaired worming in the middle of the print, otherwise good condition.

A shunga based on a design Katsukawa Shuncho's The Thread of Present-day love encounters. A prostitute and her young customer, who has come to conduct his assignation without his father's consent, bargain with one another, while the girl coyly invites him to stay. Unsigned as are most erotic prints. 

Please contact the gallery for an uncensored picture.

£600

EIZAN Kikugawa (1787-1867)

Two Lovers and a Shamisen. c.1820's

Category

Japanese | Shunga

Publisher

Privately published.

ōban yoko-e, 37.4 cm × 24.3 cm

Very good impression, colour and condition. Slightly trimmed.

The three-stringed shamisen was relatively easy to play and geisha and courtesans studied the art of music. Here, a lesson has come to an abrupt end with the shamisen, plectrum and musical tablature cast to one side. The woman appears to be somewhat startled by the man's eager advances. She remains clothed during intimacy and it was understood that an artist would give special attention to the fashionable patterned clothing. This woodblock is printed predominantly with tan pigments, the muted palette typical of beni-girai (red avoiding prints). Unsigned which is customary in shunga and attributed to Eizan. 

Please contact the gallery for an uncensored picture. 

£1100

EISEN Keisai. (1790-1848)

Lovers. c1822-5

Category

Japanese | Shunga

Series

Secret Words of Courtesans.

Publisher

Privately published.

oban yoko-e, 36.0 cm × 24.0 cm

Very good impression and colour, the purple completely unfaded. Slight soil, a few thin spots in the paper, otherwise very good condition. Large sheet.

A plate from the series 'Secret Words of Courtesans'. Abuna-e (risque pictures) were sexually suggestive but not explicit. Here a bare chested woman turns from the man to tie an iwata-sash, indicating she is pregnant. In the background, a folding screen (byōbu) is decorated with chrysanthemums.

Sold

KUNISADA I/TOYOKUNI III (1786-1865)

Sudden Shower on the Way Home from the Fuji Festival (Fuji kaeri no yûdachi). 1827.

Category

Japanese | Beauties

Series

Contest of Present-day Beauties (Tôsei bijin awase)

Publisher

Moritaya Hanzô

we, 26.0 cm × 38.0 cm

Very good impression. Very good colour, slight turning to the purple. Imperceptible centre fold (only light au verso) otherwise very good condition.

A beauty dashes home after the Fuji festival, during a sudden evening rainstorm, the wind battering her paper umbrella. The straw snake in the inset is a souvenir of the Fuji Festival celebrating the annual opening of Mount Fuji to pilgrims on the first day of the sixth month. Residents of Edo visited mounds representing Fuji in locations such as Asakusa or Komagome. Published in 1827. Signed Gototei Kunisada ga, with Kiwame censor’s seal. Another impression can be located in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. 

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Toyokuni III/Utagawa KUNISADA (1786-1864)

Actor Sawamura Tossho II as Sasaki Gennosuke. 1863.

Category

Japanese | Actors And Kabuki

Series

Large head actor portraits. Okubi-e.

Publisher

Ebisuya Shoshichi

Blockcutter

hori kō Ryūsan

oban, 28.0 cm × 40.0 cm

Excellent impression on thick, deluxe hosho. Excellent colour and condition.

The actor Sawamura Tossho II in the role of Sasaki Gennosuke, from the play Hana ayame katami ezoshi. This is from Kunisada’s late masterpiece series of half-length actor portraits, okubi-e, and the surimono style prints exemplify some of the finest examples of woodblock printing techniques, with exquisite blind printing, lacquer and mica highlights. The blockcutter is Horikô Ryûzô. Signed Nanajûhassai Toyokuni hitsu, by the 90 year old Toyokuni, in the toshidama cartouche. Another impression at the MFA, Boston. 

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Toyokuni III/Utagawa KUNISADA (1786-1864)

Asao Kuzaemon III. Nagamori

Category

Japanese | Actors And Kabuki

Series

A Contest of Magicians.

Publisher

Hiranoya Shinzo

oban tate-e, 26.0 cm × 39.0 cm

Excellent impression with beautiful blind printing and mica highlights. Excellent colour and condition.

Onoe Kikugorō III in the role of Kume no Heinaizaemon Nagamori, from the series A contest of magicians by Toyokuni (Toyokuni kigo kijutsu kurabe). This late series is luxuriously printed. Published by Hiranoya Shinzo in 1863. Signed Nanajūkūsai Toyokuni hitsu, the 90-year old Toyokuni.

£1600

Toyokuni III/Utagawa KUNISADA (1786-1864)

View of Kakegawa (Kakegawa no zu)

Category

Japanese | Beauties

Series

Fifty-three Stations of the Tôkaidô Road (Tôkaidô gojûsan tsugi no uchi)

Publisher

Moriya Jihei (Kinshindô)

Engraver

we

chuban tate-e, 18.6 cm × 26.0 cm

Excellent impression, colour and condition.

Plate 27 from a series of chuban prints depicting beauties with scenes from Hiroshige's Tokaido. The beauty proffers a maple leaf branch. Mount Akiba is printed in shades of blue and green, and a kite blows over the travellers crossing a tressle bridge. In the distance, peasants work in the rice fields. Signed Kochoro Kunisada ga. 

£500

HASUI Kawase. (1883-1952)

Panoramic View of the Daisensui Pond. Daisensui no zenkei.

Category

Japanese | Landscape

Series

Mitsubishi Fukagawa bettei.

Publisher

Watanabe Shôzaburô.

Large nagaban yoko-e, 49.0 cm × 19.0 cm

A beautiful impression. Excellent colour and condition.

A panoramic bird-eye view of the Iwasaki estate. Large nagaban format and a rare pre-1923 earthquake design. Signed and sealed Hasui. Watanabe seal 6mm seal lower left (1918-1924).

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Kawase HASUI (1883-1957)

Heirin Temple, Nobidome. 1952.

Category

Japanese | Landscape

Publisher

Watanabe Shōzaburō.

oban, 28.0 cm × 39.0 cm

Excellent impression and colour. Very good condition.

The shaded courtyard of the Heirin Temple is dappled with sunshine (the effect further enhanced by vigorous baren marks). The grounds are known for their maple trees and we can see the foliage turning to autumnal orange in the background. Signed Hasui with Hasui seal. Work date and title in the left margin with Watanabe 6mm seal.

£620

Kawase HASUI (1883-1957)

Snow at the Nezu Gongen Shrine in Tokyo (Nezu Gongen no yuki)

Category

Japanese | Landscape

Publisher

Watanabe Shozoburo.

Blockcutter

Ono Gintaro

oban tate-e, 27.0 cm × 39.0 cm

A superb and subtle impression. Excellent colour and condition.

A woman and child approach the Nezu Gongen Shrine in Tokyo during a snowstorm. The master printer is attributed in this rare and particularly subtle impression (note the blue bokashi gradation on the umbrella) with his chop 'Surishi Ono Gintaro; print master Ono Gintaro underneath the Watanabe F seal, lower right. Signed Hasui with Hasui seal.

£2900

Kawase HASUI (1883-1957)

Mito, the Swamp of Konuma in Snow. Mito hinuma no yuki.

Category

Japanese | Landscape

Publisher

Watanabe Shôzaburô. First edition. J Seal.

oban yoko-e, 37.0 cm × 25.0 cm

Excellent impression, colour and condition. Pristine.

Kawase Hasui is a master in the genre of shin-hanga ("new print") landscape. Hi Marsh is silenced by heavy snowfall. The branches of the pine trees are laden with snow under the overcast sky. A solitary figure in a warm straw coat has moored his boat and trudges forward in the blizzard, with a fishing rod over his shoulder. A loner himself, Hasui rarely portrays more than one figure in his prints.

Signed Hasui. 6mm seal lower left. 

Literature: Plate 496. The Complete Woodblocks of Kawase Hasui. Hotei Publishing. IBSN 978-9074822466

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Tsukioka Kōgyo 1869-1927

Tōsen. The Chinese Ship.

Category

Japanese | Warriors War And Legend

Series

One Hundred Noh Plays

Publisher

Matsuki Heikichi (Daikokuya)

oban tate-e, 26.0 cm × 38.0 cm

Excellent impression, colour and condition.

The print depicts So Kei and his children on a boat to China. So Kei is taken prisoner during a maritime battle between China and Japan and forced into the service of Hakozaki, where he takes wife and raises two children. But he left behind two children in China prior to his incarceration, who thirteen years later, travel to Japan with a ransom for their father’s release. Once reunited, Hakozaki is moved by the children’s love and permits So Kei to return to China. But Hakozaki will not allow the Japanese children to return with them. The decision to stay with his Japanese children or leave with his Chinese children is too great, So Kei tries to kill himself by jumping from a boulder. However the children implore him by grasping his sleeves. Hakozaki, moved by the filial devotion, relents and allows So Kei and all his children to leave together.

Signed Kōgyo with artist’s seal. Printed February 1923.

£150

Tsukioka Kōgyo 1869-1927

Shakkyō. The Stone Bridge.

Category

Japanese | Warriors War And Legend

Series

One Hundred Noh Plays

Publisher

Matsuki Heikichi

oban diptych, 53.0 cm × 39.0 cm

Superb impression, with extensive metallic pigments and bokashi. On thick, deluxe paper. Excellent colour and condition.

The priest Jakushō travels to China and India to visit places associated with the Buddha. He arrives at a stone bridge, whereupon a child appears and tells him that the Pure Land of bodisattva Monju lies on the other side. The boy says that crossing this bridge is treacherous for humans, but predicts that if the priest stays by the bridge, the bodhisattva will come to him. Whereupon, two lions, messengers of Manjuri Bodhisattva, appear and dance with fragrant peony flowers. In Now theatre, the shishimai or lion dance is a highlight of the play Shakkyō. Signed Kōgyo with artist's seal. 

£250

Tsukioka Kogyo 1867-1927

Eboshi-ori

Category

Japanese | Actors And Kabuki

Series

Nogaku hyakuban

Publisher

Matsuki Heikichi

oban diptych, 52.0 cm × 40.0 cm

Excellent impression, colour and condition. With extensive silver and gold printing.

A scene from the play Eboshi-ori, The Hatmaker. Ushiwaka (later known as the warrior Minamoto Yoshitsune) confronts the brigand Kumasaka Chōhan in front of the ‘ambush’ pine tree. Having been forewarned that he is in danger, a hatmaker offers the young Ushikawa a special headdress to conceal his true identity. Signed Kôgyo with artist’s red seal and Daikokuya fan shaped seal.

Sold

Meiji Artist. Unsigned. Late 19th Century

Kasuga Gongen genki-e.

Category

Japanese | Miscellaneous

Publisher

Unknown.

hexhaptych, 200.0 cm × 42.0 cm

Excellent impression with mica (kirazuri) and lacquer. Excellent colour. A couple of foxing spots on the final sheet to the left, otherwise very good condition.

A Meiji hexaptych, copied from the illustrated scroll on silk of the Miraculous Origins of the Kasuga Deity (Kasuga Gongen genki-e). Emperors and members of the Imperial family made pilgrimages to the Kasuga shrine during the Heian period. The curtained platform (michō), imperial cart (gosho guruma) and eight courtiers in formal black attire mark an auspicious event. The floating blue clouds and roofless interiors (fukinuki yatai; here offering a glimpse of two court ladies within the palace) are typical of Yamato-e, traditional Japanese style painting. Unsigned, late 19th century.

£280

Komura Settai 1887-1940

Shadow of the Cherry Tree.

Category

Japanese | Beauties

Publisher

Takamizawa

oban, 27.0 cm × 39.0 cm

Fine impression of the first state. Fine colour and condition.

A print titled 'Shadows of the Cherry Tree' by Komura Settai. His work is influenced by Suzuki Harunobu in its depiction of fragile, delicate beauties. This is probably the first edition, without the break in the shoji screen and the Takamizawa seal au verso. Another edition is on a larger sheet of paper but with flaws in the block. Signed Settai ga.

Illustrated in the Female Image, Plate 213.

£1800

Keigetsu Kikuchi

The Heroine Koharu. c.1923.

Category

Japanese | Beauties

Series

Dai Chikamatsu Zenshu.

Publisher

Nishimura Komakichi

Engraver

Yamagishi Kazue.

large dai-oban, 28.8 cm × 43.0 cm

Very good impression, embellished with silver. Very good colour and condition.

A tragic story of unrequited love, with the double suicide (shinju) of Kamiya Jihei, a paper merchant and Kinokuniya Koharu, a courtesan from the Kita-Shinchi pleasure quarter. The pull between obligation (giri) and the emotions of unrequited love (ninjo) would provide a theatrical pathos on the Kabuki stage. Koharu, holding a pipe, muses over her predicament. Her true love to the married Jihei can only be realised through death and subsequent Buddhist re-incarnation.

Signed Keigetsu. ref: Page 94 Newland, Amy R.; and S. Hamanaka, "The Female Image: 20th Century Prints of Japanese Beauties", Leiden: Hotei, 2000

£480

Yamamura Toyonari 1885-1942

Kataoka Nizaemon XI as Sakaida Kakiemon

Category

Japanese | Actors And Kabuki

Series

Flowers of the Theatrical World.

Publisher

Watanabe Shozoburo

oban, 23.0 cm × 49.0 cm

Excellent impression, colour and condition. A beautiful soft pink mica ground.

Toyonari created 16 prints for Watanabe, including this series “Flowers of the Theatrical World”. This print depicts the actor Kataoka Nizaemon XI (1857-1934) as Sakaida Kakiemon, one of his finest roles in his later career. The play is the Famous Artisan of Kakiemon, which tells the story of Kakiemon of Arita and his fifteen year obssession to create the finest red patterned Chinese-style pottery, in competition with a rival potter in Imari. Here the actor’s forlorn gaze hints at the tragic death of the protagonist's daughter in the play. Signed Toyonari ga. 

£1375

SEKINO Jun'ichiro (1914-1988)

Konosuke Hinatsu, 1952

Category

Japanese | Miscellaneous

Publisher

Self printed.

Large print., 51.0 cm × 71.0 cm

Excellent impression, colour and condition. Mica grey ground.

A portrait of the poet Kōnosuke Hinatsu by Jun'ichiro Sekino, printed in 1952. Hinatsu Konosuke was a professor of English at Waseda University. His work was influenced by English writers such as Wilde and Edgar Allen-Poe. He also translated many works of English literature into Japanese. Edition 32 of 50. Signed in pencil with red seal. Reference; Behind Paper Walls: Early Works and Portraits by Jun’Ichiro Sekino and The Male Image (Amsterdam, Nihon no hanga exh. cat. 6, 2011), fig. 31; Sekino Jun'ichirô hanga sakuhin shû (1997), list #129, photo p. 140. For another impression see Boston Museum of Fine Arts.

£1650

SHUNSEN Natori. (1886-1960)

Onoe Shoroku as the priest in Tsuchigumo. 1951.

Category

Japanese | Miscellaneous

Series

New Stage Portraits.

Publisher

Shōzaburō Watanabe.

ōban tate-e, 26.7 cm × 39.4 cm

Excellent impression, colour and condition.

Shunsen is considered to be the last great master of yakusha-e (actor prints). In this work he depicts the actor Onoe Shoroku in the role of the priest in Tsuchigumo. Signed Shunsen with artist's red maple leaf seal, published by Watanabe Shozaburo, ca. 1952.

£750

SHUNSEN Natori. (1886-1960)

Bandō Mitsugorō VII as Yari yakko.

Category

Japanese | Actors And Kabuki

Series

New Stage Portraits.

Publisher

Watanabe Shozoburo

dai-oban tate-e, 28.0 cm × 41.0 cm

Excellent impression with blind printing and mica ground. Excellent colour and condition.

The actor Bandō Mitsugorō VII playing the rold of Yari yakko, a spear bearer, from the series Shinpan butai no sugata-e (New Stage Portraits). Signed Taishidō Shunsen sha (depicted by Taishidō Shunsen), top right with the artist's red 'Shunsen' seal below. The right margin has the date and role details and reads Shōwa nijūshichi nen san gatsu saku, created Shōwa 27 (1952), March) and below the actor and role, Bandō Mitsugorō, Yari yakko. Shozaburo's seal lower left.

£800

SHUNSEN Natori. (1886-1960)

The Actor Ichikawa Junkei. 1952.

Category

Japanese | Actors And Kabuki

Series

New Edition of Theatrical Portraits.

Publisher

Shōzaburō Watanabe.

dai-oban, 27.0 cm × 39.0 cm

Excellent impression, colour and condition.

The actor Ichikawa Jukai III (1886-1971) in one of his finest roles, Kimura Nagato no Kami from the drama Kiri Hitoha (A Paulownia Leaf), which he performed at the Kabukiza in Tokyo, July 1951. The play is written by Tsubouchi Shōyō, an influential figure in modern Kabuki, who translated the complete works of William Shakespeare. Signed Shunsen with artist's red maple leaf seal, published by Watanabe Shozaburo, ca. 1952.

£750

SHUNSEN Natori. (1886-1960)

Ichikawa Sumizo VI as Shirai Gonpachi. 1926.

Category

Japanese | Miscellaneous

Series

Shunsen nagao-e shu.

Publisher

Shōzaburō Watanabe.

ōban tate-e, 27.0 cm × 39.0 cm

Excellent impression, with blind printing on the face. Excellent colour and condition.

Shunsen was one of the last great exponents of yakusha-e (actor prints).Here he captures Ichikawa Sumizo VI in the role of a tragic hero, Shirai Gonpachi, 1926, signed Shunsen and sealed Shunsen and Natori.

£850

Kasamatsu Shirô. (1898-1991)

Shuzenji Hot Springs.

Category

Japanese | Landscape

Publisher

Watanabe Shôzaburô.

we, 27.0 cm × 40.0 cm

Excellent impression, colour and condition.

A muted study of the Shuzenji hot springs (Shuzenji onsen), with two silhouettes against the subtle yellow glow of the indoor light. Published by Watanabe Shōzaburō in spring 1937, with the D Watanabe seal lower right and the red Shirō seal within the image. 

£1250

Kasamatsu Shirô. (1898-1991)

Pagoda in Rain at Nightfall, Yanaka, Tokyo.

Category

Japanese | Landscape

Publisher

Watanabe Shôzaburô.

oban tate-e, 12.0 cm × 12.0 cm

Excellent impression, colour and condition.

Pagoda in Rain at Nightfall, Yanaka, Tokyo (Ame ni kureru to), signed Shiro with oval artist's seal Shiro, publisher's seal on the right-hand margin, Hanken shoyu Watanabe Shozaburo (Copyright ownership Watanabe Shozaburo), the title on the left-hand margin followed by the date, Showa yonnen banshun (Showa 7, 1932, late spring)

£1800

Kasamatsu Shirô. (1898-1991)

Moonrise At Nezu Gongen Shrine

Category

Japanese | Landscape

Publisher

Watanabe Shozoburo

oban tate-e, 26.0 cm × 38.0 cm

Excellent impression, colour and condition.

Moonrise at Nezu Gongen Shrine in Tokyo. Tsuki no de Nezu Gongen, signed Shiro with oval artist's seal Shiro, publisher's seal on the right-hand margin, Hanken shoyu Watanabe Shozaburo (Copyright ownership Watanabe Shozaburo), the title on the left-hand margin followed by the date, Showa yonnen banshun (Showa 7/1932, late spring)

£1600

HIROSHIGE Utagawa (1797-1859)

Asuka-yama. 1858.

Category

Japanese | Landscape

Series

Thirty-six Views of Fuji. Fuji Sanji Rokkei.

Publisher

Tsutaya.

oban tate-e, 24.8 cm × 36.2 cm

Very good impression, colour and condition. Slightly trimmed.

Asuka-yama (Asuka Hill) to the north of Edo was the first public park opened in 1737 by the shogun, Yoshimune. Hundreds of cherry trees were planted to create a pleasant place for outings and a respite from the hustle and bustle of the big city. A group of people are enjoying hanami (cherry blossom viewing) on a bright spring day. Just beyond the slope, a procession of merchant ladies with blue parasols climb the hill after visiting one of the teahouses. The parasols were called aodosa and were made with thick, light blue paper called kochi. Not only would they offer protection from the sunlight, but the blue paper would make the pale faces of the ladies appear even more delicate. Signed Hiroshige ga.

£1650

SHOUN Yamamoto (1870-1965) (1870-1965)

Crows in a Snowstorm. c.1910-20

Category

Japanese | Nature

Publisher

Daikokuya.

o-tanzaku, 17.5 cm × 34.6 cm

Very good impression, colour. Slight trimming, otherwise very good condition. Splashed gofun creates the effect of snow.

Two crows in a blizzard, perched high above a fir-clad ravine. The crow that has just alighted the branch appears to stake an aggressive, territorial claim to the vantage point. The startled crow caws and reveals his red tongue; the only accent in this monochrome design. Shoun is known for his prints of beautiful women and his kacho-ga (pictures of birds and flowers) are rare. Signed Shoun with the artist's seal.

£450

KOSON Ohara (1876-1945)

Carrion Crow perched on a branch.

Category

Japanese | Nature

Publisher

Daikokuya

yoko o-tanzaku, 37.0 cm × 20.0 cm

Excellent impression, colour and condition.

A carrion crow sits on a branch. Published c.1910 by Daikokuya. Signed Koson with Koson seal.

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Toyohara KUNICHIKA (1835-1900)

Onoe Kikugoro V as Nikki Danjo, 1893

Category

Japanese | Actors And Kabuki

Series

One Hundred Roles of Baiko.

Publisher

Fukuda Kumajirô and Gusokuya Kahei

oban, 26.0 cm × 38.0 cm

Excellent impression with extensive mica. Excellent colour. Slight toning, otherwise excellent condition. Full size.

In 1893, Kunichika undertook a commission for two series of single-sheet portraits, each dedicated to the two most famous actors of their time. In this example, the actor Onoe Kikugoro V plays the role of Nikki Danjo, and in the cartouche above is the actor Ichikawa Danjuro as Arajishi Otokonosuke, 1893 signed Toyohara Kunichika hitsu, with the carver’s details to the right of the signature cartouche.

£500

Toyohara KUNICHIKA (1835-1900)

Shinigami, the god of death, 1893

Category

Japanese | Actors And Kabuki

Series

One Hundred Roles of Baiko.

Publisher

Fukuda Kumajirô and Gusokuya Kahei

oban Yoko-e, 26.0 cm × 38.0 cm

Fine impression, with extensive mica. Fine colour. Some soiling in the margins, slight toning, otherwise very good condition.

The kabuki actor Onoe Kikugoro V as Shinigami, the god of death, here with beautiful bokashi around the his emaciated, ghostly figure. Above is Onoe Matsusuke IV as Tobi no mono Goroji in the play Kaga Tobi. A flame singes the title cartouche just above the figure. Signed Kunichika hitsu.

£500

Toyohara KUNICHIKA 1835-1900

Onoe Kikugorō V as Saito Sanemori. 1893.

Category

Japanese | Actors And Kabuki

Series

One Hundred Roles of Baikō

Publisher

Fukuda Kumajirō

oban tate-e, 26.5 cm × 39.0 cm

Excellent impression, with blind printing, lacquer, mica and printed on thick paper. Excellent colour. Slight surface soil and minor toning, otherwise very good condition. Full size.

The actor Onoe Kikugorō V (1844-1903) in the role of Saitô Sanemori, with Ichikawa Sadanji in the supporting role Senoo Jûrô Kaneuji, the two Heike warriors, who appear in the play Genpei Nunobiki no Taki. In 1893, Kunichika undertook a commission for two series of single-sheet portraits, each dedicated to the two most famous actors of their time, Ichikawa Danjūrō IX and Onoe Kikugorō V. This is the second series depicting Onoe Kikugoro in his most famous roles, with a supporting actor in the upper cartouche. Signed Toyohara Kunichika hitsu, with the carver’s details to the right of the signature cartouche.

£280

YOSHITOSHI Tsukioka. (1839-1892)

The Old Woman Retrieves Her Arm. 4/1889.

Category

Japanese | Warriors War And Legend

Series

New Forms of Thirty-six Strange Things.

Publisher

Sasaki Toyokichi.

Engraver

Chokuzan.

ōban tate-e, 23.8 cm × 35.8 cm

Very good impression with strong woodgrain. Very good colour. Slightly trimmed; very light surface soil, otherwise very good condition.

The 10th century general Watanabe no Tsuna fell asleep one night while keeping watch at the Rasho Gate. His slumber is interrupted by a wrench to his helmet and he brandishes his sword, cutting off the huge hairy arm of his assailant, the demon Ibaraki. A few days later his elderly aunt, Mashiba, visits and asks to see the monstrous limb with claws. Watanabe realises that his aunt is in fact Ibaraki in disguise, as she grabs the severed arm and flies away. Signed Yoshitoshi, Seal: Taiso.

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YOSHITOSHI Tsukioka. (1839-1892)

Inamura Promontory moon at daybreak. 8/1886

Category

Japanese | Warriors War And Legend

Series

One Hundred Aspects of the Moon.

Publisher

Akiyama Buemon.

Engraver

Yamamoto.

oban tate-e, 26.4 cm × 36.9 cm

Very good impression with strong woodgrain. Excellent colour, with oxidation in the lower sky and very good condition.

Nitta no Yoshisada offers his treasured sword to the sea gods at dawn. In 1333, the general ended his allegiance with the Hojo clan and raised an army of twenty thousand men to restore the exiled emperor, Go-Diago, to the castle in Kamakura. His military campaign is impeded when he finds himself trapped at the Inamura Promontary. The Hojo army have fortified both the cliffs and the sea with war ships. As day breaks, Yoshisada offers his sword and the tide recedes, carrying with it the ships and archers, creating a wide expanse of sand, and a passage way for Yoshisada to advance on Kamakura.

Printed 8/1886. Signed: Yoshitoshi. Seal: Taiso. ref: Stevenson, John, "Yoshitoshi's One Hundred Aspects of the Moon", Redmond, WA: San Francisco, Graphic Society, 1992, - plate 39. Reference Impression.

£580

Unidentified Meiji Artist

A bird in a cage.

Category

Japanese | Nature

Publisher

Unknown

fan print, 29.0 cm × 22.4 cm

Excellent impression, colour and condition. Light centrefold.

An octagonal kacho-ga (bird and flower) design, depicting a sparrow in a bird cage. This design would have been cut and pasted on to an uchiwa fan for decoration. Signature unread, but dating from the late Meiji period. 

£90

Okuhara Seiko 1837-1913

A shoal of Ayu in a Stream.

Category

Japanese | Nature

Publisher

Matsumoto

koban, 10.0 cm × 7.0 cm

Very good impression, colour and condition.

A shoal of Ayu swimming under a water current by Okuhara Seiko, and printed by Matsumoto, circa 1910. A beautiful, delicate design. Seiko was a leading artist and painter during the Meiji period. Working within a field dominated by male literati, she changed her name from Setsuko to the more gender neutral Seiko. There are a small number of known or surviving prints by her, mostly depicting birds in the shikishiban format, and a few landscapes. Publishing details au verso, Matsumoto Print, no.426. Red Seiko gourd seal.

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Shibata Zeshin. (1807-1891)

Mushrooms.

Category

Japanese | Nature

Publisher

shikishiban, 25.2 cm × 24.3 cm

Excellent impression, with subtle bokashi in the foreground and on the large mushroom Excellent colour. A tiny thin spot in the paper upper right, otherwise very good condition.

A still life of mushrooms, printed in the late 1880s. Signed Zeshin, with seal. 

£200

Azechi Umetarô 1902-1999

Fighting Bulls in Iyo. 1946.

Category

Japanese | Miscellaneous

Series

Picture notes on Native Customs.

Publisher

Fugaku Shuppansha.

aiban yoko-e, 26.0 cm × 21.0 cm

Excellent impression, colour and very good condition. Upper right corner is attached to the original mat.

Spectators watching a bull fight (Tōgyū) in Iyo, Tōgyū is very different from the Spanish and Portuguese forms of bull fighting. No humans or blood are involved, and during matches, the bulls lock horns, in an attempt to ground one another until one of the bulls fatigues. Tōgyū was particularly popular in the Shōwa period. This print dates from 1946, when matches would have recommenced in the Ehime prefecture shortly after the Second World War. From a series ‘Nihon minzoku zufu’, depicting native customs of Japan. Umetaro Azechi’s prints of mountains and mountaineers are his most distinctive work. Azechi attributes the simplicity of his compositions to the strong influence of Onchi, for who he frequently worked as an artisan painter. Red seal in the lower right corner.

£180

Toyokuni III/Utagawa KUNISADA (1786-1864)

The Picture Contest. E-awase.

Category

Japanese | Beauties

Series

Lasting Impressions of a Late Genji Collection.

Publisher

Sakanaya Eikichi.

Blockcutter

Yokogawa Takejirô.

Engraver

we

oban diptych, 53.0 cm × 38.0 cm

Very good impression and colour. A repaired wormhole, and very slight toning to the right sheet, otherwise very good condition.

The Picture Contest, 'E-awase' from the series, Genji goshû yojô. The series illustrates scenes loosely based on A Rustic Genji and A Related Rustic Village. The prints were luxuriously produced on thick paper, with fine bokashi, burnishing and blind printing, as evident in this example. Signed Toyokuni ga, with publisher and the blockcutter seals also attributed. Printed II/1858.

£280

TOYOKUNI III/Utagawa KUNISADA (1786-1865)

Matsukaze. Wind in the Pines.

Category

Japanese | Beauties

Series

Lasting Impressions of a Late Genji Collection.

Publisher

Wakasaya Yoichi.

Blockcutter

Suguwa Sennosuke.

oban tate-e, 26.0 cm × 38.0 cm

Superb impression, with extensive blind printing. Pristine colour and excellent condition.

The left sheet of the diptych from Chapter No.18 “Wind in the Pines” from the series, Genji goshû yojô. The series illustrates scenes loosely based on A Rustic Genji and A Related Rustic Village. The prints were luxuriously produced on thick paper, with fine bokashi, burnishing and blind printing, as evident in this example. Signed Toyokuni ga, with publisher and the blockcutter seals also attributed. 

£190

Toyokuni III/Utagawa KUNISADA (1786-1864)

The Fireflies. Chapter No.25.

Category

Japanese | Beauties

Series

Lasting Impressions of a Late Genji Collection.

Publisher

Wakasaya Yoichi.

Blockcutter

Suguwa Sennosuke.

Oban tate-e, 26.4 cm × 38.0 cm

Superb impression and colour. A very small bleed of the red around the cartouche, otherwise very good condition. Full size sheet.

The left sheet of the diptych from Chapter No.25 “The Fireflies. Hotaru” from the series, Genji goshû yojô. The series illustrates scenes loosely based on A Rustic Genji and A Related Rustic Village. The prints were luxuriously produced on thick paper, with fine bokashi, burnishing and blind printing, as evident in this example. Signed Toyokuni ga, with publisher’s seal

£190

TOYOKUNI III/Utagawa KUNISADA (1786-1865)

Tamakazura.

Category

Japanese | Beauties

Series

Genji goshû yojô.

Publisher

Sakanaya Eikichi.

Blockcutter

Yokogawa Takejirô.

oban tate-e, 27.0 cm × 38.0 cm

Excellent impression and pristine colour. Red cartouche transfer stain (from another print placed on top), light fold line along the left edge. Otherwise very good condition.

The Tendril Wreath Chapter 22; the right panel from the Lasting Impressions of a Late Genji Collection. The woman wears a wears a kimono, decorated with colourful chrysanthemums. The poem associated with this chapter reads “Yes, my love lives on, just as it did long ago:yet< Otendril warmth, say what long and winding stem led you all the way to me”. Signed Toyokuni ga, with publisher’s seal.

£180

Gosōtei Hirosada 1810-1864

Bandô Jutarô II in the role of Kiritarô.

Category

Japanese | Actors And Kabuki

Series

Chûkô Buyûden.

chuban tate-e, 12.0 cm × 12.0 cm

Excellent impression, colour and condition, with attractive oxidation to the metallic pigments.

A print from Hirosada's series of actor portraits in various roles, Chûkô Buyûden, Chronicles of courage, loyalty, and filial piety. The series consisted of about 120 portraits. Neither the actor, nor the play are named on the sheet. Tenpô Reforms banned the production of actor prints in Osaka from the seventh month of 1842, and although restrictions were relaxed by 1847, print makers remained cautious. However, to the theatre-going public the actor and role would have been immediately identifiable. This print shows Bandô Jutarô II in the role of the magician Kiritarô from the play Keisei Hanabusa Zoshi, performed at the Chikugo Theatre, Osaka in January 1849. The role had been a huge success for Bandô Jûtarô I in 1835. Osaka prints, kamigata-e, are often finely printed, with expensive materials, evident in the metallic pigments, oxidised in this example. 

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Gosōtei Hirosada 1810-1864

Actor Nakamura Utaemon IV as Bishop Henjô

Category

Japanese | Actors And Kabuki

Series

The Fashionable Six Poetic Immortals

Publisher

The Fashionable Six Poetic Immortals

Chuban, 18.0 cm × 26.0 cm

Excellent impression, colour and condition, with large margins.

An okubi-e (big head) print of the actor Nakamura Utaemon IV as the Bishop Henjô from the dance-play Yoso’oi Rokkasen. This was the actor’s final performance of the hengemono (transformation dance), a multiple-roles dance showcase performed by one actor, with quick changes of costume. This showcases a single actor dancing a series of contrasting roles in quick succession. Henjô is the introductory section, portraying an elderly priest of great learning. Signed Gosōtei Hirosada.

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ASHIYUKI Gigado. (active 1814-1843)

Nakamura Karoku as the Abalone Diver Onami. 1/1825

Category

Japanese | Actors And Kabuki

Publisher

Kichi and Honsei.

oban tate-e, 24.9 cm × 38.8 cm

Very good impression, colour and condition. Barely discernible horizontal centrefold. Full size sheet.

The actor Nakamuro Karoku in the role of the abalone diver Onami from the play Momochidori Naruto no Shiranami, performed 1/1825. Nakamuro Karoku was one of the great female role specialists (onnagata) from the Kamigata (Osaka theatre region). The purple headscarf conceals the shaven forelock, customary for male adults. Three years after the publication of this print, he was placed under house arrest for his ostentatious and luxurious lifestyle. His insistence on having two candles burn at the entrance of his house to ensure a warm welcome after his performance was frowned upon by the ruling authorities (bakufu). Signed Ashiyuki ga.

£220

ASHIYUKI Gigado. (active 1814-1843)

Arashi Kitsuzaburo as Nagoya Sanza. 1823.

Category

Japanese | Actors And Kabuki

Publisher

Tenki

oban tate-e, 25.3 cm × 39.2 cm

Very good impression, colour and condition.

The actor Arashi Kitsuzaburo in the role of Nagoya Sanza from the play 'Keisei shina sadame'. His rivalry with fellow samurai, Fuwa Banzaemon, provided much fodder for the Kabuki stage. They both vie for the attention of the courtesan, Katsuragi. Sanza sits in his dilapidated house, wearing a kimono adorned with his emblematic 'swallow and rain' patter and the sword 'amorous swallows' resting on the stand in the background. Signed Ashiyuki ga.

£250

ASHIYUKI Gigado. (active 1814-1843)

The Actor Arashi Rikan II as Osome. 9/1830.

Category

Japanese | Actors And Kabuki

Publisher

Honsei

oban tate-e, 23.0 cm × 37.0 cm

Excellent impression and colour. Backed and some lateral trimming, otherwise very good condition.

The actor Arashi Rikan II, nicknamed "the Big-eyed Toku" (me Toku-Rikan) playing the role of Osome in the drama Ashiya Doman Ouchi Kagami (A Courtly Mirror of Ashiya Doman), performed on the ninth month of 1830. Rikan II was small in physical stature and specialised in onnagata "female"roles. To the left, a Haiku poem signed by Rikan says "As the persimmon ripens, Osome has been thinking of her love. She takes time to arrange her black hair before the pleasure of seeing her lover again....." Another impression at the MFA, Boston.

£220

Shibata Zeshin. (1807-1891)

The Cup of Long Life. 1883.

Category

Japanese | Miscellaneous

Publisher

Privately published for Kameda Hozan.

large scale surimono, 57.8 cm × 43.4 cm

Excellent impression, with lacquer and metallic pigments. Superb colour. The usual folds, otherwise very good condition.

A large scale surimono by Shibata Zeshin, depicting a large black lacquer box, engraved with ‘long life sake cup, while the red cup is decorated with many variations of the character for long life, ‘kotobuki’. Signed Zeshin, with seal.

£300