unknown (1923 Great Kanto Earthquake)

Great Kanto Earthquake Photograph Album

string-bound with fifty images of scenes of the destruction of Yokohama and Tokyo, several with text along a border of the print or across the image itself identfying the location, all mounted on black pages, many accompanied by typed informational labels in English, ca. post-September 1923-1924

7 1/4 by 11 3/8 in., 18.5 by 29 cm

On Saturday, September 1, 1923 at 11:58 a.m. an earthquake emanated from Sagami Bay, thirty miles south of Tokyo struck the Kanto Plain, lasting somewhere between 4 and 10 minutes. After the initial shock which registered at a magnitude of 7.9, a tsunami with waves estimated at up to 10 meters (33 feet) high hit the coast only minutes later, while merciless firestorms (triggered by disrupted midday cooking fires) swept across Tokyo and Yokohama. All told, some 140,000 people were killed, and huge portions of the area was in ruins leaving as many as two million homeless.

This album documents the physical destruction of Tokyo and Yokohama, and records the struggle of displaced survivors. It includes several images of landmarks of the disaster accompanied by paper labels identifying locations in English, with a particular emphasis on views of the port city of Yokohama, the entry-point for foreigners in Japan. As the album was discovered in Canada, the person who assembled it may have been Canadian or American. The Yokohama Specie Bank, which famously remained intact save for the distinctive steel framework of its dome, is visible in multiple views standing in a sea of debris. There are photographs of twisted railway lines, collapsed bridges, buildings with melted steel beams, and huge fissures in the roadways. An image labeled as the Asakusa amusement park shows the shell of the famous brick Asakusa Twelve Stories building, a well-known tower that cracked and lost its uppermost floors. The American Consulate building is photographed teetering at an angle; both the American Acting Consul General and his wife were killed in the quake.

Care was taken to record the deplorable conditions that the survivors endured, noting the digging out of the ruins, building of shacks, and lines of refugees escaping the city. The collector of the images stayed in the area long enough to record evidence of the reconstruction as some images show roads that have been cleared. A photograph shows figures walking (mimicking the manner of vehicle traffic with each side going in one direction) on an avenue dotted with steel relics of street cars and destruction all around. Another shows a bustling scene with figures filling the street in front of the shell of Shinbashi Station, not labeled but recognizable by the distinctive stiped brickwork facade.

(inv. no. 10-5429)

SOLD

Yamamura Koka (Toyonari)

1885-1942

Record of Impressions of the Great Earthquake Disaster: Taisho Stirrups of Musashi Province
(Daishinsai inshoki: Taisho Musashi abumi)

fifty lithograph illustrations (nine with color) by Yamamura Koka; accompanied by text by Kawamura Karyo, March 1924

10 3/8 by 7 1/2 in., 26.3 by 19.2 cm.

Within a month of the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923, Koka produced a series of thirty images accompanied by dramatic text by the playwright and theater critic Kawamura Karyo (1884-1954) portraying the destruction wrought by the disaster which were published in the evening edition of the newspaper Hochi Shimbun from September 30th until November 1st 1923. The series was collectively titled Record of Impressions of the Great Earthquake Diaster: Taisho Stirrups of Musashi Province. The 'Stirrups of Musashi' references a famous account of the 1657 Great Meireki Fire, Stirrups of Musashi Province, written by Asai Ryoi in 1661 that destroyed much of the same area on the Kanto plain with a similarly devastating loss of life estimated at around one hundred thousand.

The pictures were based on sketches Koka made on the day of the quake when he walked from Tokyo to Yokohama and then on to Kamakura. Paired with text from Kawamura, the series attempted to capture visually and through words the physical and emotional destruction suffered by so many, with visceral images of crumbled buildings, people caught in whirlwinds of fire, piles of mangled and bloated corpses, mutilated victims, and barren, haunted landscapes. Although the project with the newspaper ended after thirty installments, Koka and Karyo continued to work on it and published a completed group of fifty pairings as a book.

Some of the later sketches in the book portray the aftermath of the quake and fire. Koka records survivors living in make-shift tents, waiting in long lines, and praying for the dead. Towards the end Koka offers the glimmer of hope with subjects related to the reconstruction, including a portrait of T.A. Jaggar (1871-1953, American Volcanologist who penned a report on the quake for the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, December 1923), and closes with a final scene of two schoolboys wearing matching uniforms with short pants, brimmed hats and carrying backpacks, symbolic of the promise of youth.

Published:
Seven Masters: 20th Century Japanese Woodblock Prints from the Wells Collection, 2015, p. 69, figs. 6 & 7

Reference:
Gennifer Weisenfeld, Imaging Disaster: Tokyo and the Visual Culture of Japan's Great Earthquake of 1923, 2012, pp. 106-108
Andreas Marks, Seven Masters: 20th Century Japanese Woodblock Prints from the Wells Collection, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 2015, p. 69, figs. 6 & 7

(inv. no. C-1854)

SOLD

various artists (early shin hanga)

Tokyo Reconstruction, Thirty Famous Volunteers
(Tokyo Fukko Hyakkei, Sanju meikakigo)

tassle-bound book depicting scenes of Tokyo following the 1923 earthquake; the red cover with the title Tokyo Fukko Hyakkei, Sanju meikakigo, with one hundred black and white and monochrome illustrations by thirty artists, plus one color frontispiece by Nakazawa Hiromitsu; titled, dated and priced on the inside back cover, Tokyo Fukko Hyakkei (One Hundred Views of Tokyo Reconstruction), Taisho juyonnen sangatsu nijuugon ichi seihon (Taisho 14 [1925], March 25, published), teika ichi en (price one yen); excerpted from Nihon oyobi Nihonjin published by Seikyo sha, 1925

9 3/4 by 7 1/4 in., 24.8 by 18.4 cm

In contrast to the collection of raw images by Yamamura Koka, Records of Impressions of the Great Earthquake Disaster, depicting the devastating destruction and despair wrought by the September 1, 1923 earthquake which were published in the Hochi Shimbun newspaper only twenty-nine days later beginning on September 30th, the illustrations included in this volume present a hopeful and optimistic perspective on Tokyo under reconstruction. The collaborative collection of one hundred images was originally published by Seikyo sha on January 1st, 1925 within vol. no. 64 of the magazine Nihon oyobi Nihonjin (Japan and the Japanese). This book is a separate publication featuring the illustrations alone which was issued three months later.

The table of contents groups the illustrations by various neighborhoods and their wards from around the city, begining with Kojimachi, followed by Kanda, Nihonbashi, Kyobashi, Shiba, Azabu, Akasaka, Yostuya, Ushigome, Koishikawa, Hongo, Shitaya, Asakusa, Honjo, and ending in Fukagawa. As the title suggests, the collection includes works by 30 artists (so-called 'famous volunteers'). Many of the artists were active in varying degrees early in the shin-hanga movement such as Hirezaki Eiho (1880-1968), Matsuda Seifu (1880-1978), and several were students of Kaburaki Kiyokata (1878-1972, who contributed one design himself) including Kawase Hasui (1883-1957), Yamamura Koka (Toyonari, 1885-1942), Terashima Shimei (1892-1975), Kobayakawa Kiyoshi (1896-1948), Ito Shinsui (1898-1972), Kasamatsu Shiro (1898-1991), Yamakawa Shuho (1898-1944), and Jinbo Tomoyo (1902-1994). Other contributers were painters from Kiyokata's circle, including his first student Kadoi Kikusui (1886-1976), Nishida Seiha (1895-1979), Enomoto Chikatoshi (1898-1973), Ishii Tekisui (1882-1945), Yoko Hogetsu (1897-1990), Ohno Shizukata (1882-1945); along with yoga (Western-style) sketch tour illustrators such as Nakazawa Hiromitsu (1874-1964), Mizushima Nihou (1884-1958) and Akatsuka Chuichi (1887-?). Lesser-known artists for whom bigographical details are minimal or unknown also participated, including Kikuchi Komei (1899-1993), Arai Kankata (1878-1945), Koda Tojo, Miyazaki Utajiro, Ishii Tomomasa, Hiyashi Koun, and Yoshino Naokata.

Hasui seems to have spearheaded the project, producing one fifth of the designs with a total of 20 works, followed by close friends Akatsuka and Hiromitsu with 15 and 10 works, respectively. Most of the other artists included 3 views or less.

# designs per artist

3 by Ishii Tekisui (1882-1945)
1 by Matsuda Seifu (1892-1941)
3 by Nishida Seiha (1895-1980)
5 by Oono Shizukata (1882-1945)
3 by Enomoto Chikatoshi (1898-1973)
1 by Kasamatsu Shiro (1898-1991)
2 by Hayashi Koun (dates unknown)
3 by Terashima Shimei (1892-1975)
2 by Koda Tojo (dates unknown)
1 by Yokoo Hogetsu (1897-1990)
3 by Kadoi Kikusui (1886-1976)
3 by Kobayakawa Kiyoshi (1896-1948)
15 by Akatsuka Chuichi (1887-?)
4 by Yoshino Naokata (dates uknown)
10 by Nakazawa Hiromitsu (1874-1964)
1 by Ito Shinsui (18+8-1972)
2 by Yamakawa Shuho (1898-1944)
2 by Mizushima Niou (1884-1958)
20 by Kawase Hasui (1883-1957)
2 by Yamamura Koka (1885-1942)
3 by Kikuchi Komei (1899-1993)
3 by Miyazaki Utajiro (dates unknown)
1 by Hirezaki Eiho (1880-1968)
1 by Ishii Tomomasa (dates unknown)
3 by Jinbo Tomoyo (1902-1994)
1 by Matsuda Seifu (1880-1978)
1 by Arai Kankata (1878-1945)
1 by Kaburagi Kiyokata (1878-1972)

100 total designs

(inv. no. C-3238)

SOLD

Yamamura Koka (Toyonari)

1885-1942

Night of Celebration [Fireworks]
(Hoshuku no yoru)

signed Toyonari ga in lower right corner (almost imperceptibly in the area of the dark bokashi), with rectangular artist's red approval seal, Toyonari, in the margin, self-published with the support of the Yamamura Koka Hanga kankokai (Publication Society of Yamamura Koka's prints), 1924

oban tate-e 15 1/2 by 10 1/2 in., 39.5 by 26.7 cm

After self-publishing a series of twelve kabuki actor portraits known popularly as the Flowers of the Theatrical World (Rien no hanna) with Watanabe Shozaburo (1885-1962) over a two-year period from 1920 to 1922, Toyonari branched out and began to produce prints illustrating a variety of subjects other than kabuki portraits while exploring more stylization of his compositions. The prints were published with the help of his patrons who formed the Publication Society of Yamamura Koka's Prints (Yamamura Koka Hanga Kanokokai) and likely issued in modest numbers as the post-earthquake prints seem to be more rare than the pre-earthquake prints published with Watanabe. Only six out of the ten prints from the 1924 group were included in the 1930 landmark shin-hanga exhibition in Toledo of which Watanabe was the principal organizer, and this stunning print is extremely scarce.

Perhaps in an effort to embrace the sosaku-hanga (creative print) aesthetic that emphasized the artists as the carver and printer, the ten prints explored great abstraction and bold colorization. However, for production purposes Toyonari ultimately concluded that he preferred the collaborative opportunities inherent in of the shin-hanga process that utilized professional carvers and printers. He asserted in an article in the magazine Chuo Bijutsu (Central Art) in 1925:

Even I at one time tried to "self-draw, self-carve and self-print," but I recognized that the technique was crude, and these days I have stopped doing this altogether...in order to create Shin-hanga I meet with artisans and while talking it through with block-cutters and printers, I rely on their technique and work diligently with them to produce prints." (Marks, p. 72)

References:
Andreas Marks, Seven Masters: 20th Century Japanese Woodblock Prints from the Wells Collection, 2015, pp. 65-73 (artist's bio), and Yamamura Koka (Toyonari) Exhibition History, p. 211
Carnegie Museum of Art, accession no. 89.28.1413

(inv. no. C-3224)

SOLD

Yamamura Koka (Toyonari)

1885-1942

Actor in a Chinese Opera
(Shina shibai seichu den hoshi)

with karazuri ('blind printing') on the large white tassel dangling from his headpiece, with artist's seal Toyonari on the lower left margin, self-published via the Yamamura Koka Hanga Kankokai, ca. 1924

dai oban tate-e 15 3/4 by 10 7/8 in., 40.1 by 27.6 cm

In 1924 Toyonari self-published (with the support of the Publication Society of Yamamura Koka's Prints) a group of ten prints that expanded his range beyond kabuki portraits with an untitled set that included images of beauties, landscapes, still-life, and bird-and-flower subjects. The only actor in the group is not a kabuki actor, but this striking portrait of a Chinese actor. The compositions utilized bold colorization and emphasized the aesthetics of woodblock printing with embellishments such as the karazuri ('blind printing') used on the actor's tassles.

The subject was likely inspired by a perormance of one of seven different productions that were staged by the troupe accompanying the Peking Opera star Mei Langfang (1894-1961) who was invited in 1924 to perform at the newly rebuilt Teikoku Gekijo in Tokyo between October 25th and November 4th to celebrate the theater's reopening and the eighty-eighth birthday of the self-made man and patron of Asian art, Baron Okura Kihachiro (1837-1928, the founder of the Okura-gumi zaibatsu, which became the Taisei Corporation). Chinese Opera is similar to Japanese kabuki, both utilizing all-male casts with elaborate costumes and stage makeup. As Mei Langfang specialized in female roles, this is likely a different actor from the troupe. The design is recorded on a list of Koka's printed works with the title Shina shibai seichu den hoshi, which is can be translated as Opera Actor in Qing Heroic Tale, and the character's name roughly translates as 'Star-Busting Dragon.'

Although produced after the destruction of the earthquake, extant prints from the 1924 group are more scarce than most of Toyonari's pre-earthquake kabuki portraits; likely the ardent kabuki fans ensured a robust market with greater distribution (and thus preservation) of the portraits. In contrast, this stylistic portrait of a Chinese actor is extremely rare; it is not recorded in the 1930 Toledo shin hanga exhibition.

References:
Amy Reigle Newland, et. al., Printed to Perfection: Twentieth Century Japanese Prints from the Robert O. Muller Collection, Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, 2004, p. 83, no. 67
Koyama Shuko, Beautiful Shin Hanga- Revitalization of Ukiyo-e,Tokyo Metropolitan Edo-Tokyo Museum, 2009, p. 183, no. 4-62
Andreas Marks, Seven Masters: 20th Century Japanese Woodblock Prints from the Wells Collection, pp. 64-73, and Minneapolis Institute of Art, 2015, Yamamura Koka (Toyonari) Exhibition History, p. 211
Darrel C. Karl, Modern Japanese Performing Art Prints: Yamamura Koka (www.mjpap.com)

(inv. no. C-1719)

SOLD

Yamamura Koka (Toyonari)

1885-1942

Buddha's Hand with Navel Oranges
(Busshukan to neburu)

signed Toyonari with date seal Taisho hinoe tora (Taisho, year of the fire tiger [1926]), self-published via the Yamamura Koka Hanga Kankokai, ca. 1926

dai oban yoko-e 10 7/8 by 15 5/8 in., 27.7 by 39.8 cm

In 1924 Toyonari self-published (with the support of the Publication Society of Yamamura Koka's Prints) a group of ten prints that expanded his range beyond kabuki portraits with an untitled set that included images of beauties, landscapes, still-life, and bird-and-flower subjects. The prints explored a greater abstraction with bold colorization, in this composition embracing an emerging modern woodlock print aesthetic emphasizing the black outline and flat planes of color.

While Toyonari's printed works were never produced in great abundance (and published in limited editions), his stylish bird and flower subjects from the 1924 group are comparatively more scarce than even some of his pre-earthquake portraits of actors; likely indicative of a smaller distribution at the time of production than the kabuki portraits which benefited from a much wider audience.

References:
Dorothy Blair, Modern Japanese Prints, Toledo Museum of Art, 1930, no. 212
Carolyn M. Putney, Fresh Impresions: Early Modern Japanese Prints, Toledo Museum of Art, 2013, p. 239, no. 219
Andreas Marks, Seven Masters: 20th Century Japanese Woodblock Prints from the Wells Collection, 2015, pp. 64-73, and Yamamura Koka (Toyonari) Exhibition History, p. 211

(inv. no. C-1721)

$2,000

Kawase Hasui

1883-1957

Twenty Views of Tokyo: Shiba Zojo Temple
(Tokyo Nijukkei: Shiba Zojoji)

signed Hasui with artist's seal Kawase, with the rarely present series title cartouche on left margin, Tokyo Nijukei, followed by the print title, Shiba Zojoji, and the date below, Taisho juyonen saku (Taisho 14 [1925]), and the publisher's (Hotei 'C') seal on lower right margin, Hanmoto Watanabe hangaten (Publisher Watanabe print shop), 1925

oban tate-e 15 1/8 by 10 1/4 in., 38.5 by 26.1 cm

In recent years this print has vaulted from Hasui's most popular print, to the most famous shin-hanga landscape, and most recently, possibly one of the most recognizable Japanese woodblock prints of all, achieving its status as an icon of the genre in just under a century. This steady climb to fame began at its inception, it was a great success when Watanabe released it as the first print in the Twenty Views of Tokyo series which was published between 1925 and 1930.

As is the case with most Hasui prints published by Watanabe, the popularity of any given design is evident in the progression of different publisher seals found on various impressions. In this case, it is estimated that Watanabe began using the publisher's copyright seal found in the lower right corner starting in approximately 1927. However, this seal has also been found on prints together with an earlier copyright seal (6mm round seal) which is thought to have been in use up until 1926, underscoring that the copyright seals were employed somewhat randomly and cannot be relied upon solely to date an impression of a Hasui print.

From a perspective of connoisseurship, a comparison of examples found in reference works (and often the cover illustrations) reveals remarkably few differences in impressions, a testament to the extraordinary skill of the carvers and printers working with Watanabe. The color of the figure's scarf ranges from purple to blueberry, and the color of the figure's inner sleeve and hem range from rosy-pink (on earlier impressions) to a red hue matching the temple. In addition, it seems the earlier impressions tend to use the brick red on the temple and to emphasize the contrast of the shadows in the background, as is found on this example, while later impressions seem to soften the shadows and use a brighter red.

For this series Watanabe opted to have the series title cartouche, Tokyo Nijukkei, stamped on the print rather than carved into the keyblock, and that seal is often missing. Curiously, most impressions of this print (and other prints from this series) were issued without the series title cartouche (even the impressions in the Narazaki Muneshige book and the 2003 catalogue raisonné by Kendall Brown are missing the series title). While it is generally believed that the presence of the series cartouche indicates an early impression, Shimizu suggests that the prints were not initially produced as an intended series, but then Watanabe later decided group them as such, hence the stamped series title. (Hisao Shimizu, Kawase Hasui, 2013)

According to Narazaki, due to the immediate success of the design, additional batches were ordered, including a final run in 1933, but thereafter Watanabe decided to stop producing it even though the blocks were available and they could have sold many, many more.

References:
Kato Junzo, comp., Kindai Nihon hanga taikei, 1975-76, Vol. III, pl. 14
Narazaki Muneshige, Kawase Hasui mokuhanga shu, 1979, p. 56, no. 147
Kendall H. Brown, Kawase Hasui: The Complete Woodblock Prints, 2003, p. 356, no. 147
Kendall H. Brown, Visions of Japan: Kawase Hasui's Masterpieces, 2004, p. 55, no. 19 (and cover)
Shimada City Museum, Kawase Hasui, The Landscape Woodblock Prints of the Taisho and Showa Periods, 2005, p. 60, no. 91
Hsiao Shimizu, Hasui Kawase, Folk Museum of Ota City, 2007, p. 31, no. 17
Abe Publishing, Kawase Hasui Woodblock Prints, 2009, p. 68, no. 94 (and cover)
Carolyn M. Putney, et. al., Fresh Impressions: Early Modern Japanese Prints, Toledo Museum of Art, 2013, p. 141, cat. no. 85
Chiba City Museum of Art, Kawase Hasui, 2013, p. 87, no. 81 (and cover)
Hisao Shimizu, Kawase Hasui, Folk Museum of Ota City, 2013, pp 58-59, no. 56 (purple scarf) and no. 57 (blue scarf with more contrast)

(inv. no. C-3248)

SOLD

Kawase Hasui

1883-1957

Souvenirs of Travel, Third Series: Gozanoishi Shrine at Lake Tazawa
(Tabi miyage dai sanshu: Tazawako Gozanoishi)

signed Hasui with artist's seal Kawase, with publisher's seal, Hanken shoyu Watanabe Shozaburo (Copyright ownership Watanabe Shozaburo) on lower right margin (Hotei 'B' seal, ca. 1924-30), the print title on left margin, Tazawako Gozzanoishi, followed by the date, Taisho jugonen saku (work of Taisho 15 [1926])

oban tate-e 15 3/8 by 10 3/8 in., 39 by 26.2 cm

Although Hasui suffered the devastating loss of his home and all of his sketchbooks (some 188) in a fire that consumed his neighborhood in Atago after the 1923 earthquake, he got back to work quickly and left on a long tour only one month after the disaster. The sketches from that tour, and subsequent tours in the following years became the basis for the twenty-nine designs included in Souvenirs of Travel, Third Series, published from 1924-1929.

Hasui traveled through the Akita prefecture in June of 1926, when he would have visited the Gozanoishi shrine located on the northern shore of Lake Tazawa in the Ou mountains on the Akita peninsula. It appears that when Hasui recorded this scene, the torii gate was made of raw wood and stood in the shallows near the waters edge, but the current construction of the torii is painted vermillion and appears to stand on slightly higher and dry ground.

References:
Kendall H. Brown, Kawase Hasui: The complete woodblock prints, 2003, no. 131
Fresh Impression: Early Modern Japanese Prints, Toledo Museum of Art, 2013, p. 145, cat. no. 92

(inv. no. 10-3758)

SOLD

Hiroshi Yoshida

1876-1950

Mt. Rainier & Sailing Boats: Mist Test Print
(Beikoku: Reniyasan / Setonaikai shu: Hansen kiri)

a unique double-sided print; Mt. Rainier with sumi ink signature Yoshida and artist's flower seal, bright red jizuri (self-printed) seal on upper left margin, dated below Taisho juyonen saku (made in Taisho 14 [1925]), and titled below Reniyasan; the verso with a test print of Sailing Boats: Mist, with jizuri seal on left margin, the series title below, Setonaikai shu, followed by the date, Taisho jugonen saku, and the print title below, Hansen kiri, with the 'kiri' printed twice, ca. 1925-26

15 by 20 7/8 in., 38 by 53 cm

In the period following the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, woodblock print production continued to quickly evolve and technical innovations made more complex printings possible. Hiroshi Yoshida and his team of master carvers and printers pushed the process to the limit with large format printing, issuing a group of prints that measured as much as thirty-three inches on the longest side that required multi-part keyblocks and a team of five printers to wrangle the sheets onto the color blocks and trade off the baren-work after every five sheets. Already well-known for his skillful paintings and as a remarkably fine colorist, Yoshida explored the woodblock print medium, frequently producing variant impressions using the same blocks to capture a composition at different times of the day. One of his most famous examples of which is the set of six Sailing Boats prints produced in 1926 from the Inland Sea series, illustrating a progression of changing color, light and shadows throughout the day: Morning, Forenoon, Afternoon, Mist, Evening and Night.

This impresson of the Mist version of the Sailing Boats offers a rare glimpse into the trial and error aspect of printmaking. The Mount Rainier print from his United States series was issued in 1925, and at first glance this appears to be a perfectly acceptable and finished impression. However, in the upper right corner one of the background blocks in the sky was printed very slightly off-register, and as such, did not pass muster by Yoshida. The print must have been put aside, and the following year, in 1926, when Yoshida was working on his Sailing Boats variants, they used the same sheet of paper to test the alignment of the print, and one can see an adjustment might have been made to the keyblock as the last character of the title 'Kiri' was printed twice, one overlapping slightly with the other. What's even more interesting is that the background appears to be for the Morning version of the Sailing Boats- which was normally printed in a bright progressing of yellow to orange and pink.

(inv. no. 10-5110)

$12,000

Natori Shunsen

1886-1960

Creative Prints, Collected Portraits of Shunsen: Actor Nakamura Utaemon V as Yodogimi
(Sosaku hanga Shunsen Nigao-e Shu: Nakamura Utaemon V, Yodogimi)

printed with katazuri (embossing) along the nose and brow; signed Shunsen with artist's seal Shunsen and artist's approval seal, Natori, on lower left, publisher's seal Watanabe-ko (Watanabe Shozaburo) at middle right edge, from an edition limited to 150 impressions, ca. 1926

oban tate-e 10 3/4 by 15 1/2 in., 27.31 by 39.37 cm

Following his participation in 1915 with the short-lived magazine Shin nigao-e (New Portraits of Actors) also known as Yakusha-e (Portraits of Actors), Shunsen submitted a portrait of the actor Nakamura Ganjiro I (1860-1935) to a painting exhibition the following year where it was seen by the publisher Watanabe Shozaburo (1885-1962) who offered to use it as the basis for a woodblock print. The print was published in the same year, followed by one more actor print in 1917. Their collaboration did not resume until eight years later when Watanabe began publishing a series of thirty-six actor prints, Creative Prints, Collected Portraits by Shunsen (Sosaku hanga, Shunsen nigao-e shu), a series of thirty-six actor prints issued by subscription only in editions limited to 150 impressions from 1925-1928.

Similar to Yamamura Koka (Toyonari, 1885-1942) who had also published actor prints with Watanabe and independently before the earthquake, Shunsen developed his portraits based on bromides (buromaido), photographs of the actors which were available for fans to purchase at the theaters, emphasizing a new modern realism which likely appealed to the kabuki audience. The new series established Shunsen as Watanabe's primarily artist for kabuki prints.

Nakamura Utaemon V (1865-1940) was one of the leading onnagata (female role) actors of the early 20th century. He was best known for his portrayal of the role Yodogimi (Lady Yodo) in several shin-kabuki (new plays outside of the kabuki tradition) plays written for him, the first was staged in 1906, and the last was in 1939 for his final stage performance. This print may depict his portrayal of Yodogimi in the play Yodogimi Odawara Jin (Yodogimi, Battle of Odawara), which premiered in April 1926.

Accompanied by original folder with the title label, Dai jusan (13th), Nakamura Utaemon, Yodogimi, and embossed at lower right, Shunsen hanga kankokai (Shunsen publishing association).

References:
Yamaguchi Keizoro, Natori Shunsen (exhibition catalogue), Kushigata, 1991, no. 26
Chiba City Art Museum, Nihon no hanga III 1921-1930, 2001, p. 42, pl. 13
Lucie Folan et. al., Stars of the Tokyo Stage: Natori Shunsen's Kabuki Actor Prints, National Gallery of Australia, 2012, p. 85
Carolyn M. Putney, et. al., Fresh Impressions: Early Modern Japanese Prints, Toledo Museum of Art, 2013, p. 188, cat. no. 147
Andreas Marks, Seven Masters: 20th Century Japanese Woodblock Prints from the Wells Collection, Minneapolis Institute of Art, 2015, pp. 81-87; p. 91, cat. no. 39

(inv. no. 10-4027)

$2,200

Ito Shinsui

1898-1972

It Looks Like Snow
(Yuki moyoi)

the ermine fur collar embossed in a swirling pattern; signed Shinsui ga with artist's seal Shinsui, and publisher's mark on the bottom margin, Sosaku hangakai Isetatsu (Iseya Tatsugoro), dated at lower left margin, Taisho jugonen haru saku (made in Taisho 15 [1926], spring)

oban tate-e 14 5/8 by 10 in., 37 by 25.4 cm

This print was part of a collaborative series of woodblock prints issued by the publisher Isetatsu (Hirose Tasugoro) comprised of five sets of two prints, each set pairing an image of a beauty designed by Shinsui with a landscape by Kawase Hasui (1883-1957), for a total of ten works. This design was paired with Hasui's Lingering Snow at Sanno (Sanno no zansetsu).

This print is one of the very few occaisons that Shinsui depicted a beauty that could be regarded as a moga (shortened from modan garu, or 'modern girl'), as suggested by her sophisticated Western-influenced fashions.

References:
Tadasu Watanabe, Ito Shinsui: All The Woodblock Prints, 1992, p. 207, no. 140
Amy Reigle Newland, and Hamanaka Shinji, The Female Image: 20th Century Prints of Japanese Beauties, 2000, p. 59, no. 48

(inv. no. 10-5431)

SOLD

Takahashi Shotei (Hiroaki)

1871-1945

Rain on Izumi Bridge
(Izumibashi no Ame)

the title at left, Izumibashi no ame, followed by the artist's seal, Shotei, published by Watanabe Shozaburo, post 1923

otanzaku yoko-e 6 3/4 by 15 in., 17 by 38.1 cm

In 1923, Watanabe's firm, renamed Watanabe Mokuhangaha or Watanabe Hangaten (Watanabe Woodblock Print Shop) in 1909, was destroyed in the fires following the Great Kanto Earthquake (like that of his former employer Kobayashi). All of his stock and woodblocks were lost, including all the designs already produced by Shotei. Watanabe managed to return to business and some designs, including this one, were re-cut and published. Often the new version had some small design change from the pre-earthquake version, as it is the nature of ukiyo-e process to constantly adjust, tweak, and improve the prints.

References:
Amy Reigle Stephens, gen. ed., The New Wave: Twentieth-century Japanese Prints from the Robert O. Muller Collection, 1993, p. 111, pl. 86
Arnaud D'Hauterives, La nouvelle vague: L'estampe japonaise de 1868-1939 dans la Collection Robert O. Muller, Musée Marmottan, Institute de France, Académie des Beaux-Arts, 1994, p. 42, pl. 62
Hisao Shimizu, Syotei (Hiroaki) Takahashi, 2005, p. 42, pl. 85 (see pl. 84 for 1909 version)
Andreas Marks, Japanese Woodblock Prints, 2019, pp. 598-601, no. 197
(inv. no. 10-5215)

SOLD

Takahashi Shotei (Hiroaki)

1871-1945

Sacred Bridge, Nikko in Snow
(Nikko Shinkyo no yuki)

embellished with sprinkled gofun, the title at upper right followed by artist's seal Shotei, published by Watanabe Shozaburo, post-earthquake, ca. 1924-1935

chuban tate-e 10 1/8 by 6 7/8 in., 25.6 by 17.6 cm

While images of any meisho (famous view) being portraits, in a sense, of a paricular location, tend to be by their very nature, quite similar, this design compares noticeably with a similar composition by Kobayashi Kiyochika (1847-1915), Views of Famous Sites in Japan: The Sacred Bridge (Nihon meisho zue: Shinkyo), published by Matsuki Heikichi more than three decades earlier in 1897. Whether deliberate or not, Shotei's homage to Kiyochika's print reflects the earlier artist's importance among the shin-hanga milieu. Shotei's contemporary, Kawase Hasui (1883-1957), asserted that it was Kiyochika who had the greatst influence on his work. Watanabe Shozaburo (1885-1962), the leading publisher in the field, held a large collection of Kiyochika's work, and in November of 1931 he helped organize a massive memorial exhibition of Kiyochika's work at the Itoya Department Store in Tokyo, contributing over one third of the works on view.

Shimizu's 2005 monograph on Shotei illustrates the set of five double-sided cherry wood blocks used to produce this print.

References:
Watanabe Shozaburo, Catalogue of Wood-Cut Colour Prints of S. Watanabe, 1936, no. 192
Amy Reigle Stephens, gen. ed., The New Wave: Twentieth-Century Japanese Prints from the Robert O. Muller Collection, 1993, p. 70, no. 22 (Kiyochika print)
Hisao Shimizu, Syotei (Hiroaki) Takahashi, 2005, p. 54, no. 242 and 243 (set of woodblocks)
Hisao Shimizu, The Collected Print Works of Shotei Takahashi, A Modern Ukiyo-e Painter, 2006, p. 90, no. 88
Marc Kahn, Shotei.com, cat. no. C-22

(inv. no. C-3215)

SOLD

Takahashi Shotei (Hiroaki)

1871-1945

Two Rats with a Daikon Radish and Carrot

dated and signed Taisho jugonen (Taisho 15 [1926]) Hiroaki ga, with artist's seal Shotei, with publisher's diamond-shaped printed paper label on verso with bilingual address: S.WATANABE, 9, NISHI 8-CHOME, GINZA, TOKYO, 1926

oban yoko-e 10 3/8 by 15 1/4 in., 26.2 by 38.7 cm

The paper label found on the verso of this print could easily be confused with a similar diamond-shaped label with Watanabe Shozaburo's former address at No. 11 Gorobei-cho, Kyobashi-ku, Tokyo. Following the destruction of his premises in the 1923 earthquake, the publisher rebuilt his shop in the fashionable district of Ginza.

References:
Hisao Shimizu, Syotei (Hiroaki) Takahashi, 2005, p. 58, no. 275 Harvard Art Museum, object no. 1933.4.430
Van Vleck Collection, Chazen Museum of Art, University Wisconsin-Madison, accession no. 1980.2839
Marc Kahn, shotei.com, cat. no. O-8

(inv. no. 10-5213)

SOLD

Takahashi Shotei (Hiroaki)

1871-1945

Kiyomizu Temple at Ueno
(Ueno Kiyomizu-do)

dated and signed, Taisho jugonen Hiroaki saku, with artist's seal Shotei, and publisher's seal, Hanken shoyu Watanabe Shozaburo (Copyright ownership Watanabe Shozaburo) on lower right margin (Hotei 'B' seal, ca. 1924-30), 1926

oban yoko-e 10 1/4 by 15 1/8 in, 26 by 38.4 cm

References:
Hisao Shimizu, Syotei (Hiroaki) Takahashi, 2005, p. 59, no. 273
Hisao Shimizu, The Collected Print Works of Shotei Takahashi, A Modern Ukiyo-e Painter, 2006, p. 99, no. 96
Harvard Art Museum, object no. 1939.257
Marc Kahn, shotei.com, cat. no. O-6

(inv. no. 10-5407)

SOLD

Uehara Konen

1878-1940

Remaining Light
(Zan to)

with artist's seal Konen, and publisher's seal Hanken shoyu Watanabe Shozaburo (copyright ownership Watanabe Shozaburo) on right margin, the title and date on the left margin, Showa sannen (Showa 3 [1928])

oban tate-e 15 1/2 by 10 3/8 in., 39.3 by 26.2 cm

Uehara Konen was born in the Asakusa district of Tokyo. He was a student of the painter Kajita Hanko (1870-1917) and of Matsumoto Fuko (1840-1923), who was the uncle of Takashi Shotei (Hiroaki, 1871-1945). Konen designed a group of small-format prints that were published by Kobayashi Bunshichi (1864-1923), an ukiyo-e dealer who collected privately and also published reproductions. Kobayashi was a very influential figure; in 1898, he and Ernest Fenellosa (1853-1908, former curator of Japanese art of the MFA, Boston) organized the first exhibition of ukiyo-e in Ueno Park in Tokyo. He was also a supplier of Hayashi Tadamasa (1853-1906), the famous dealer of ukiyo-e located in Paris. Konen's lyrical subjects were well-suited for buyers of classic ukiyo-e. Unfortunately, Kobayashi's shop and legendary collection of of prints were destroyed in the fires following the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake.

Following the death of Kobayashi in the same year as the 1923 earthquake, Konen turned to Watanabe Shozaburo (a former employee of Kobayashi from 1902-06), producing only two full-sized prints with publisher in 1928: a night view of Dotonbori in Osaka, and this moonlit view of a pagoda.

References:
Amy Reigle Newland, gen. ed., Printed to Perfection: Twentieth-century Japanese Prints from the Robert O. Muller Collection, 2004, pp. 33-34
National Museum of Asian Art (Sackler Gallery), Robert O. Muller Collection, accession no. S2003.8.3100 (descriptive title Twilight at a Pagoda)
Art Institute of Chicago, Bruce Goff Archive, gift of Shin'enkan, accession no. 1990.607.225 (descriptive title Fading Lamplight of a Pagoda)

(inv. no. 10-5432)

$4,800

Takahashi Shotei (Hiroaki)

1871-1945

Famous Places in Nikko, Snow, Moon & Fowers: Yomei Gate
(Nikko Meisho [Setsugekka]: Yomeimon)

signed at lower right Hiroaki with artist's seal Shotei, with publisher's seal at lower right, Hanken shoyu Fusui Gabo hakko, and limited edition seal, San-hyaku mai kagiri zeppan (limited edition of 300), ca. 1929

oban tate-e 15 1/2 by 10 1/4 in., 39.5 by 26.1 cm

The role of Takahashi Hiroaki (Shotei) in the shin-hanga movement is arguably as integral as it has been overlooked. He was one of the most prolific among the shin-hanga artists, with as many as 500 designs issued by his primary publisher Watanabe Shozaburo (1885-1962). Beginning in 1907, small-format 'tourist' prints designed by Shotei helped the ambitious young print dealer establish his nascent publishing house. By the mid-1910s, as Watanabe began to explore taking print production to a new level, he published a snow scene designed by Shotei, Snow on Ayase River (Ayasegawa no yuki), exhibiting some of the hallmarks of a Watanabe-produced shin-hanga print, including one of the earliest (or possibly the earliest) dated print bearing Watanabe's round seal. However, Watanabe passed over Shotei for additional collaborations in the higher-quality format, and sought out Western-trained artists (and failing that, Western artists themselves) to help him achieve his vision for a new genre of modern Japanese prints.

Although Watanabe did publish at least 43 oban-sized (or larger) Shotei prints, representing less than one tenth of their collaboration, it is not surprising that some of Shotei's best work came to fruition while working with another publisher that perhaps allowed him more artistic freedom. Between 1929 and 1932, Shotei produced thirty full-sized (oban or larger) woodblock prints with Fusui Gabo, a Tokyo-based publishing house established in the year following the 1923 earthquake by Kaneko Fusui (Seji) and Kanekio Seizo. Similar to Watanabe and most of the publishing houses, the firm also published ukiyo-e reproductions with the help of Shotei acting as an editor.

This print is from a series published by Fusui Gabo in 1929, Famous Places in Nikko (Nikko Meisho) which included three designs based on the classical theme of Snow, Moon, and Flowers (Setsugekka) and all three designs are quite scarce. The edition, limited to only 300 impressions, is an excellent example of the zenith of shin-hanga print production, both in character and composition. Though poised to share the market for high-quality modern woodblock print production, Fusui Gabo's contriubtion to the shin-hanga movement was short-lived. The publisher apparently did not issue prints with artists other than Shotei, and their headquarters (including their inventory of books and prints) was destroyed during World War II.

References:
Hisao Shimizu, Syotei (Hiroaki) Takahashi, 2005, p. 66, no. 313
Hisao Shimizu, The Collected Print Works of Shotei Takahashi, A Modern Ukiyo-e Painter, 2006, p. 113, no. 110
Marc Kahn, Shotei.com, cat. no. O-63

(inv. no. C-3216)

SOLD

Takahashi Shotei (Hiroaki)

1871-1945

Saruhashi Bridge in Koshu Province
(Koshu Saruhashi)

with title and signature at right, Koshu, Saruhashi, Hiroaki, followed by red artist's seal no in(?), dated along bottom margin, Showa rokunen junigatsu saku Hiroaki jiga jikoku (Showa 6 [1931], 12th month, self-designed and self-carved by Hiroaki), with publisher's seal at lower left margin, Hanyen shoyu Fusui Gabo hakko (copyright owned by Fusui Gabo Company), 1931

otanzaku tate-e 20 3/4 by 9 1/8 in., 52.6 by 23.3 cm

Although Hiroaki declares after his signature 'jiga jikoku' (self-designed, self-carved), perhaps the assertion regarding 'jikoku' is more indicative of his direct involvement in the production of the block set and his approval of the printing as opposed to actually carving all of the blocks himself. This grand composition presented in a lavish format exemplifies the high quality of print production that the artists and artisans were able to achieve by the late 1920s and early 1930s, a highpoint for shin-hanga movement.

References:
Amy Reigle Stephens, gen. ed., The New Wave: Twentieth-century Japanese prints from the Robert O. Muller Collection, 1993, p. 113, pl. 93
Amy Reigle Newland, gen. ed., Printed to Perfection: Twentieth-Century Japanese Prints from the Robert O. Muller Collection, 2004, p. 44, no. 15
Hisao Shimizu, Syotei (Hiroaki) Takahashi, 2005, p. 66, no. 322
Hisao Shimizu, The Collected Print Works of Shotei Takahashi, A Modern Ukiyo-e Painter, 2006, no. 113 (and inside cover flap)

(inv. no. C-3214)

SOLD

Takahashi Shotei (Hiroaki)

1871-1945

Make-up before the mirror (moga)
(Kagami no mae- Kesho)

with karazuri (blind-printing) to accentuate the curves the body, signed Hiroaki with artist's rectangular seal, Hiroaki, and publisher's seal on the lower right margin, Hanken shoyu Fusui Gabo hakko, with printer's seal on lower left, Insetsu Onotomi (printer Onotomi), ca. 1929-30

dai oban tate-e 16 1/4 by 11 1/8 in., 41.2 by 28.3 cm

This particular design falls within a subset of bijin-ga depicting women displaying the fashions and attributes of moga (shortened from modan garu, 'modern girl'). The most recognizable (and controversial) identifying characteristic of a moga was the bobbed haircut (or sometimes long hair was fashioned into a knot at the nape of the neck which would mimic the bob). The prototypical moga was an educated and independent woman, probably employed, and usually at least perceived of as promiscuous (if not actually so).

From the 1920s into the early 1930s Japanese women began to assert themselves beyond the strict ideals of their traditional roles as good daughters, wives and mothers. Many print artists approached the subject of moga as a fresh opportunity to depict bijin and their fashions; but some compositions also managed to convey temporal pleasures in the moga lifestyle. Appropriately, the decadence of enjoying the here and now of a fleeting, floating world is actually the very nature of ukiyo-e itself.

References:
Kendall H. BrownLight in Darkness: Woman in Japanese Prints of Early Showa (1926-1945), 1996, cat. 9
Amy Reigle Newland and Hamanaka Shinji, The Female Image: 20th century prints of Japanese beauties, 2000, no. 149
Nihon no hanga III 1921-1930, Toshi to onna to hikari to kage to (Japanese Prints III, 1921-1930: Cities and Women, Lights and Shadows), Chiba City Museum of Art, 2001, p. 125, no. 271
Amy Reigle Newland, gen. ed., Printed to Perfection: Twentieth-century Japanese Prints from the Robert O. Muller Collection, 2004, no. 14
Shimizu Hisao , Syotei (Hiroaki) Takahashi: His Life and Works, 2005, p. 68, no. 318

(inv. no. 10-4972)

SOLD

Torii Kotondo

1900-1976

Snow
(Yuki)

dated and signed, Showa yonnen jugatsu (Showa 4 [1929], 10th month), Kotondo ga, followed by rectangular artist's seal Kotondo; the title, Yuki, embossed on the bottom margin; the publisher's marks, Sakai Kawaguchi go ban (joint publication) at the lower left margin; with limited edition paper seal hand-numbered with artist's name on verso, Gaikoku iki nihyaku mai kagiri zeppan, dai kyuju ichi go, Tori Kotondo (for foreign export, limited edition of 200 printed, number 91, by Torii Kotondo), October 1929

dai oban tate-e 18 1/2 by 11 3/4 in., 47.1 by 30 cm

Torii Kotondo was born in Nihonbashi district of Tokyo. In his early teens he studied painting under his father, Torii Kiyotada IV (1864-1931), the seventh-generation head of the Torii School (the traditional artists of the kabuki theater), who gave him the go (art name) Kotondo at the age of fourteen. Under the name of Kotondo he illustrated magazines, kabuki billboards, and theater programs. In 1915 he contributed designs of actors to the pamphlet, Shin Nigao-e (New Portraits of Actors) also known as Yakusha-e (Portraits of Actors) as did several other shin-hanga artists such as Yamamura Koka (Toyonari, 1885-1942), and Natori Shunsen (1886-1960). In 1917 Kotondo started an apprenticeship with the Nihonga (Japanese style) artist Kobori Tomone (1864-1931) who specialized in historical subjects. Following the advice of his father, later in the same year he also began studying bijinga with Kaburaki Kiyokata (1878-1972), even though Kiyokata was associated with the rival ukiyo-e school of Utagawa artists. Perhaps by 1917 the sense of competition between the schools had diminished, along with ukiyo-e itself, and Kiyokata was a logical choice as the head of a vibrant atelier who also happened to be an ardent kabuki enthusiast, which would have been a valueable resource for Kotondo as a Torii school artist.

In 1929 Kotondo succeeded his father and became the eighth head of the Torii School (initially taking the name Kiyonobu, before taking the name Kiyotada V in 1941). In that same year he began producing prints with the publishers Sakai and Kawaguchi, and then the following year with Ikeda. Within five years he produced twenty-two bijinga prints, the majority of which remain among the finest of the shin-hanga genre.

The six prints issued by Sakai and Kawaguchi were first issued in a limited edition of 200 and bear a paper label on the back for the export market. Later, some of those six were reissued by Kawaguchi alone in editions of 300 for the domestic market. The last three prints in the group were published by Kawaguchi without Sakai limited editions of 350. This print is part of the first Kawaguchi and Sakai group, in the first edition limited to 200.

References:
Kato Junzo, comp., Kindai Nihon hanga taikei, 1975-76, Vol. III, pl. 107
Amy Reigle Newland and Hamanaka Shinji, The Female Image: 20th Century Prints of Japanese Beauties, 2000, p. 129, pl. 172
Andreas Marks, Seven Masters: 20th Century Japanese Woodblock Prints from the Wells Collection, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 2015, pp. 185-189; p. 193, no. 136

(inv. no. 10-2006)

SOLD

Kobayakawa Kiyoshi

1899-1948

Styles of Contemporary Make-up: no. 3, Nails
(Kindaijisesho no uchi: san- Tsume)

dated Showa gonen juni gatsu (Showa 5 [1930], 12th month), and signed, Kiyoshi, with artist's rectangular seal Kobayakawa, the title along the bottom margn, Kindaijisesho no uchi, san, tsume, unnumbered limited edition seal at the lower right corner, Hayku mai kagiri zeppan, dai - go (100 limited edition, number -), privately published ca. 1930

naga-oban tate-e 21 by 11 3/4 in., 53.2 by 30 cm

Kobayakawa Kiyoshi was another notable shin-hanga artist who was a student of Kaburaki Kiyokata (1878-1972) and exhibited his Japanese-style paintings with his fellow-students at Kyodokai (Homeland Society) exhibitions as early as 1918. He won awards at national competitive exhibitions such as Teiten and Bunten. In the 1920s Kiyoshi became interested in ukiyo-e and began collecting prints in order to study them. He produced a total of thirteen prints in his career, twelve of which were included in the 1936 shin-hanga exhibition at Toledo Museum of Art, Modern Japanese Prints: Woodblock Prints by Ten Artists of the Work of the Past Five Years, which built on the success of the landmark 1930 exhibition. This self-published series, Styles of Contemporary Make-up, includes six designs.

Kiyoshi had a clear sense of purpose regarding his designs for woodblock prints, asserting in an article published in March 1935, "I want to depict the society that is changing now--living people, the manners and customs of the environment in front of me. I share this approach with earlier ukiyo-e artists. In fact, I see myself as a ukiyo-e artist, doing the same kind of work." (Ukiyo-e geijutsu 4, no. 3, exerpt translated in Waves of Renewal, p. 201).

References:
Kato Junzo, comp., Kindai Nihon hanga taikei, 1975-76, Vol. III, pl. 71
Amy Reigle Newland, and Hamanaka Shinji, The Female Image: 20th Century Prints of Japanese Beauties, 2000, no. 191
Nihon no hanga III 1921-1930, Toshi to onna to hikari to kage to (Japanese Prints III, 1921-1930: Cities and Women, Lights and Shadows), Chiba City Museum of Art, 2001, p. 122, pl. 264-3
Chris Uhlenbeck, Amy Reigle Newland and Maureen de Vries, Waves of Renewal: Modern Japanese Prints, 1900-1960, Selections from the Nihon no hanga Collection, 2016, p. 201

(inv. no. 10-1011)

$7,500

Hirano Hakuho

1879-1957

Before the Mirror
(Kagami no mae)

dated and signed, Showa shichinen, shigatsu (Showa 7 [1932], 4th month), Hakuho ga, followed by artist's seal Haku, published by Watanabe Shozaburo, ca. 1932

dai oban tate-e 15 1/2 by 10 3/4 in., 39.37 by 27.31 cm

Born in Kyoto, Hirano Hyakuho was a self-taught Nihonga and ukiyo-e style painter known for his portrayals of beauties in gorgeous kimono. The publisher Watanabe Shozabruo issued five prints by Hakuho from 1932 to 1935, and included two in the 1936 show at the Toledo Museum of Art, Modern Japanese Prints: Woodblock Prints by Ten Artists of the Work of the Past Five Years. While three out of the five Watanabe prints depict women from behind, which naturally focuses our attention on the careful carving and printing of the pattern on their kimono, it was a nude composition, After a Bath, that sold out at the Toledo show.

References:
Amy Reigle Stephens, gen. ed., The New Wave: Twentieth-Century Japanese Prints from the Robert O. Muller Collection, 1993, p. 126, no. 127
Arnaud D'Hauterives, La nouvelle vague: L'estampe japonaise de 1868-1939 dans la Collection Robert O. Muller, Musée Marmottan, Institute de France, Académie des Beaux-Arts, 1994, p. 46, pl. 76 Amy Reigle Newland, and Hamanaka Shinji, The Female Image: 20th Century Prints of Japanese Beauties, 2000, p. 153, no. 209, and p. 208 (artist bio)
Chris Uhlenbeck, Amy Reigle Newland and Maureen de Vries, Waves of Renewal: Modern Japanese Prints, 1900-1960, Selections from the Nihon no hanga Collection, 2016, p. 113

(inv. no. 10-4025)

SOLD

Ito Shinsui

1898-1972

The First Collection of Modern Beauties: Rouge
(Gendai bijin shu dai isshu: Kuchibeni)

with mica highlights on her obi and the mirror; signed and dated at upper right corner, Showa yonnen gogatsu Shinsui ga (Showa 4 [1929], 5th month, by Shinsui), with artist's seal Shinsui, with limited edition seal on verso, Nihyakugoju mai zeppan, dai shichijuyon ban (250 limited edition, number 74), and publisher's rectangular seal Watanabe, 1929

dai oban tate-e 42.7 by 28 cm

A beauty seated before her kyodai daubs a bit of beni (red safflower used to stain the lips which is also used as a pigment for prints and paintings) on her finger from a small porcelain dish. She wears a kimono decorated with bands of stylized fringed carnations (nadeshiko) floating on a pale grey ground and bands of blue stylized waves, with a contrasting soft green creped collar and dramatically offset by a deep red and white checked obi. The reflective surface of her mirror and the white squares of her obi are highlighted with white mica.

From 1916 up until 1921, when Watanabe held his first exhibition of shin-hanga prints at the Shirokiya department store in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, Shinsui produced twenty-nine woodblock prints, with only six of the works depicting beauties. During that early period of experimentation, Watanabe gave Shinsui free reign regarding subjects, accepting any design Shinsui submitted, offsetting his financial loss with the profitable sale of ukiyo-e through his print shop. But beginning in 1921, Shinsui produced bijinga (images of beautiful women) almost exclusively for the next fifteen years. After the 1923 earthquake, Watanabe consolidated his stable of artists according to genres, with Shinsui as his leading bijinga print designer. Having lost his entire inventory of ukiyo-e and shin-hanga in the fires follwing the quake, Watanabe needed to be pragmatic going forward. The developmental period was over, Tokyo was engaged in reconstruction, and the shin-hanga market was growing.

In 1929 Watanabe announced the production of this series, First Series of Modern Beauties, to be issued in editions limited to only 250 impressions. Of each edition, he intended to distribute 200 impressions by subscription and the remaining 50 would be available individually. Although it consisted of only twelve designs, it took two years to complete.

References:
Tadasu Watanabe, Ito Shinsui: All the Woodblock Prints, 1992, p. 80, no. 52
Reigle Newland, Amy, and Hamanaka Shinji, The Female Image, 2000, p. 63, no. 56
Mueller, Laura J., Strong Women, Beautiful Men: Japanese Portrait Prints from the Toledo Museum of Art, 2005, p. 89
Carolyn M. Putney, Fresh Impressions: Early Modern Japanese Prints, 2013, p. 97, cat. no. 26
Chiaki Ajioka, Ito Shinsui, in Andreas Marks, Seven Masters: 20th Century Japanese Woodblock Prints from the Wells Collection, 2015, pp. 99-103

(inv. no. 10-0742)

SOLD

Ito Shinsui

1898-1972

Fine Weather in Autumn
(Akibare)

signed and dated Showa gonen aki Shinsui ga (Showa 5 [1930], autumn, by Shinsui) with artist's seal Shinsui, publisher's seal Watanabe at lower left, with limited edition seal on verso, Nihyakugojû mai zeppan, dai nijû-roku ban (250 limited edition, number 26), followed by publisher’s rectangular seal, Watanabe, 1930

obaiban tate-e 20 1/8 by 13 1/4 in., 51 by 33.5 cm

Although Shinsui produced almost 150 woodblock prints in his lifetime, many were exported, thus his primary fame within Japan was as a painter. He exhibited frequently with organizations such as Kyodokai (Homeland Society), Nihon Bijutsuin (Japan Fine Art Institute) and Bunten. Together with Yamakawa Shuho (1898-1944), he founded the Seikinkai (Blue Collar Society). By 1931 he had over 100 students in his school, Rohogajuku (Clear Peak Painting Academy). Increasingly, by the late 1920s and into the 1930s, Shinsui print no longer produced in the old way, beginning with a hanshita (preparatory drawings), but based on finished paintings which Watanabe's master carvers and printers adapted to gorgeous images of beauty representing the pinnacle of shin-hanga.

However, this hands-off approach, without creative collaboration and Shinsui's direct involvement in the printing process may have led to his apparent disillusionment with the movement. Despite of their success (or because of it), Shinsui was critical of some shin-hanga artists, himself included. In an article titled It's no Longer the Past (Kako ni arazu) published in the December 1933 issue of Ukiyo-e Geijutsu (Ukiyo-e Art), he dismissed shin-hanga as overly commercialized, adhering too closely to ukiyo-e ideals and falling short of the creative expression evident in self-carved, self-printed sosaku-hanga. The artist who arguably was the most important in the germination and evolution of shin-hanga was doubtful of its merit. Even so, he circled back to comment on his own role as a printmaker: "I hope to create artistic prints...grounded on the subjectivity and retaining the unique contents that are only possible to achieve in woodblock prints." (Excerpted in Seven Masters, p. 102)

References:
Kato Junzo, comp., Kindai Nihon hanga taikei, 1975-76, Vol. III, pl. 91
Tadasu Watanabe, Ito Shinsui: All the Woodblock Prints, 1992, p. 77, no. 49
Amy Reigle Stephens, gen. ed., The New Wave: 20th Century Japanese Prints from the Robert O. Muller Collection, 1993, pp. 35-37 (on print production)
Amy Reigle Newland, and Hamanaka Shinji, The Female Image: 20th Century Prints of Japanese Beauties, 2000, p. 68, no. 66
Chiaki Ajioka, Ito Shinsui, in Andreas Marks, Seven Masters: 20th Century Japanese Woodblock Prints from the Wells Collection, 2015, pp. 99-103

(inv. no. 10-2628)

$5,000

Kasamatsu Shiro

1898-1991

Moonrise at Nezu Gongen Shrine
(Tsuki no shutsu, Nezu Gongen)

signed Shiro with artist's seal Shiro, the title on the left margin, Tsuki no shutsu, Nezu Gongen, followed by the date, Showa shichinen shigatsu (Showa 7 [1932], April), with publisher's (Hotei 'D') seal on right margin, Hanken shoyu Watanabe Shozaburo (copyright ownership Watanabe Shozaburo), 1932

oban tate-e 15 3/8 by 10 1/2 in., 39 by 26.7 cm

Kasamatsu Shiro was born in the Asakusa district of Tokyo. In 1912 he began studying painting with Kaburaki Kiyokata (1878-1972), who gave him his go (art name), Shiro, using different characters than his given name. Shiro was an active painter, and submitted works to several competitive exhibitions including Bunten, Teiten, Tatsumi Gakei and Kyodokai. In 1916 he won Third Prize at the Southeast Painting Society. Shiro was an early recruit into Watanabe's shin-hanga circle, publishing his first four prints in 1919, and adding one more design in 1920. The blocks for those prints were lost in the fires following the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923 and are consequently scarce. He resumed print design in the 1930s, producing many works with Watanabe; their relationship lasted until the end of World War II. By the 1950s he had become interested in sosaku-hanga and began carving and printing his own works.

References:
Helen Merritt and Nanako Yamada, Guide to Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints: 1900-1975, 1992, pp. 54-55
Chris Uhlenbeck, Amy Reigle Newland and Maureen de Vries, Waves of Renewal: Modern Japanese Prints, 1900-1960, Selections from the Nihon no hanga Collection, 2016, p. 271

(inv. no. 10-5218)

SOLD

Kawase Hasui

1883-1957

Fuji River
(Fujikawa)

signed Hasui with artist's seal Kawase, the title on the left margin Fujikawa, followed by the date, Showa hachinen nigatsu hatsuka sha (Showa 8 [1933], 2nd month, 20th day, sketched), with publisher's seal on the lower right margin, Hanken shoyu Watanabe Shozaburo (Copyright ownership Watanabe Shozaburo), 1933

obaiban yoko-e 15 1/8 by 21 1/2 in., 38.4 by 54.5 cm

By the mid to late 1920s technical innovations had made large-format woodblock printing a possibility, albeit a complicated and expensive endeavor with an uncertain financial benefit. Although larger prints have obvious visual impact, they weren't necessarily easier to sell being somewhat harder to store, ship, and of course, offered at a higher price point. As such, it is not surprising that the publisher Watanabe rarely ventured beyond the oban (approximately 15 by 10 in.) size which was a standard sheet size since the late 18th century.

This print is one of the few obaiban (double oban, approximately 15 by 20 in.) size that Watanabe produced with Hasui. It was released in two variants; the alternate variant has red coloration on the peak of Mount Fuji and the addition of a cloud block in the sky. This impression, with a peachy-yellow sky differs slightly from the standard yellow sky found in published examples. The large format prints were likely printed in comparatively small quantities due to the financial and technical challenges inherent in their production. Both versions were included in the 1936 shin-hanga show at Toledo Museum of Art, Modern Japanese Prints: Woodblock Prints by Ten Artists of the Work of the Past Five Years, which built on the success of the landmark 1930 exhibition. This impression, with a peachy-yellow sky differs slightly from the standard yellow sky found in published examples. The large format prints were likely printed in comparatively small quantities due to the financial and technical challenges inherent in their production.

References:
Narazaki Muneshige, Kawase Hasui mokuhanga shu, 1979, p. 90, no. 254
Kendall H. Brown, Kawase Hasui: The Complete Woodblock Prints, 2003, p. 448, no. 315
Shimada City Museum, Kawase Hasui, The Landscape Woodblock Prints of the Taisho and Showa Periods, 2005, p. 88, no. 153a
Chiba City Museum of Art, Kawase Hasui, NHK Service Center, 2013, p. 146, no. 146-1
Andreas Marks, Seven Masters: 20th Century Japanese Woodblock Prints from the Wells Collection, 2015, p. 168, no. 125

(inv. no. C-2030)

SOLD

Kako Watanabe (Shozaburo)

1885-1962

Evening View from Nishi park in Fukuoka
(Fukuoka nishi koen no yusho)

signed at lower right as though carved on the tree Watanabe Kako kosaku, with publisher seal in the margin to the right, Ginza Watanabe mokuhan gaho kosaku (Watanabe woodblock print shop design, Ginza), the title on the left margin, Fukuoka nishi koen no yusho, followed by the date Showa juichinen sangatsu nijuyonnichi sha (drawn Showa 11 [1936] March 24), titled in English and signed in pencil on the bottom margin, Fukuoka West Park, By Kako Watanabe, March 1936

dai oban yoko-e 11 5/8 by 17 1/8 in., 29.5 by 43.5 cm

Kako was the artist's name for Watanabe Shozaburo, the preeminent publisher of shin-hanga. The name was derived from the ka in his birthplace Gokamura, and the ko was derived from a different reading the first character, e, of the river near his hometown, the Engawa. This is one of two prints he produced, the other, Lake Kawaguchi (with a view of Mount Fuji) he published in 1937. There were apparently two other designs that he worked on but did not complete. He based the composition on a sunset he had seen on vacation in Fukuoka and asked a photographer to record for him. A hanshita (preparatory drawing) was produced based on an enlargement, and in an attempt to achieve a more sosaku-hanga aesthetic (and true to the 'artist as creator' ethos), he himself used a V-shaped half-round chisel to give the waves a rougher appearance.

The shin-hanga movement would not have existed were it not for the vision, investment, and determination of Watanabe Shozaburo. While there may have been a neo ukiyo-e movement without his contributions, it was Watanabe who led the way in establishing a new genre of woodblock printmaking rooted in tradition but elevated by modernity. The 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake destroyed his shop in Kyobashi along with his stock of antique, reproduction and tourist prints. But Watanabe recovered, relocating his new premises to Ginza, and he rebuilt the business by focusing on shin-hanga. While landscapes and bird-and-flower subjects continued to sell well in the export market, he found a domestic niche with the actor and beauty prints which he produced by subscription in limited editions, thus ensuring their financial viability.

This print represents a curious moment in the shin-hanga movement. Having assembled a robust roster of artists assigned to various subjects, Watanabe recognized that there was a need for new experimentation, revisiting the intertwined creative processes of the shin-sosaku-hanga (new creative prints) he pioneered twenty years earlier.

References:
Amy Reigle Stephens, ed., The New Wave: Twentieth-Century Prints from the Robert O. Muller Collection, 1993, p. 34, fig 17; p. 152, pl. 174
Koyama Shuko, Beautiful Shin Hanga- Revitalization of Ukiyo-e, Tokyo Metropolitan Edo-Tokyo Museum, 2009, p. 056, no.2-19

(inv. no. 10-5222)

SOLD

1923 Before and After Part 1 →