Kishio Koizumi

1893-1945

One Hundred Pictures of Great Tokyo in the Showa Era: Spring Rain at Hamacho Park (no. 14, revised)
(Showa dai Tokyo hyakuzue: Nihon-bashi Hamacho-koen harusame)

self-carved, self-printed; signed within the composition, Izumi in kanji and KOIZUMI KISIO in block Roman letters, print title on the upper left margin in black, Nihon-bashi Hamacho-koen harusame, the series title on the right margin, Showa dai Tokyo hyakuzue, dated and numbered, hanga kanseiban, dai jugonen sangatsu saku, juyon kei (complete print series, 15th year [1940], 3rd month, no. 14), followed by the seal, kai shinpan (revised new version), and signed in pencil, Koizumi Kishio, 1940

dai oban tate-e 15 3/8 by 11 7/8 in., 39.2 by 30.2 cm

In 1928 Kishio Koizumi released the first print of this ambitious series of 100 designs. Entirely self-carved and self-printed, the series would take nine years to complete during a period of rapid expanding and rebuilding of Tokyo and tumultuous political and social change in Japan. Koizumi's views of Tokyo reflected an interest in the modernization of the city while at the same time a sense of nostalgic pride in traditional Japan.

From 1939-1940, Koizumi revised nine designs, carving entirely different compositions, and bringing the total to 109 woodblock prints. It is unknown why Koizumi created substitute designs for the series, although Merritt (inexplicably and questionably) records that some substituted prints were published by Asahi Press in 1940. This composition is one of the revised views; the earlier composition from 1931 was similarly titled, Hamamachi Park in the Spring.

Koizumi refers to the earlier design in his 1940 annotated index: The first version of this print showed the fountain. This is a revised edition.

References:
The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, Catalogue of Collections: Prints, 1993, p. 133, no. 1233
James T. Ulak et. al, Tokyo: The Imperial Capital, Woodblock Prints by Koizumi Kishio, 2003, p. 38 (detail)
James T. Ulak, Tokyo Modern-II, Koizumi Kishio's 1940 Annotations on "100 Views of Great Tokyo in the Showa Era," Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Visualizing Cultures (visualizingcultures.mit.edu), 2009 (Koizumi translation)
The Wolfsonian-Florida International University, Miami Beach, Florida, Mitchell Wolfson, Jr. Collection, no. TD1993.69.1.94, TD1993.69.1.93
(inv. no. 10-5615)

offered as a set

price: (reserved)