Natori Shunsen

Morita Kanya XIII As Genta Kagesue in the play Genta Kando

1928

Thirsty: The Appearance of a Town Geisha - a So-Called Wine-Server - in the Ansei Era Color woodcut, 1888 Signed; Seal: Taiso (see photo) Plate 22 from the series "Thirty-two Aspects...

On the Beach at Long Branch - The Children's Hour Wood engraving, 1874 Published in "Harper's Weekly" August 15, 1874 (p. 672) Image size: 9 1/4 x 13 5/8 inches Provenance: Wunderlic...

Signed by the artist in pencil on the image Reference: Tim Mason and Lynn Mason, Helen Hyde (Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1991), 115, reproduced in color p. 68.

Takeda Daizendayu Harunobu (Nyudo Shingen) Crouching in a Field Color woodcut, 1878 Signed: Oju Yoshitoshi hitsu; Seal: Taiso (See photo) From the series: "A Mirror of Famous General...

The Bathers Woodengraving, 1873 As published in Harper's Weekly, August 2, 1873 (p. 668) Provenance: Wunderlich & Co., Inc., New York, NY (Their stock no. ...

The Ghost of Seigen Haunting Sakurahime Color woodcut, May 1889 Signed: Yoshitoshi; seal: taiso, lower right (see photo) Plate 5 from the series "New Forms of the Thirty-six Ghosts" Publisher: Sasaki A very fine lifetime impression of the second state (bi-colored cartouche) (see photo) The murdered lover of courtesan Sakurahime appears in the smoke from her brazier Format: Oban Condition: Excellent Image size: 14 3/8 x 9 3/4 inches Reference: Beauty and Violence, Plate 6 Stevenson, "Ghosts", Plate 5 TAISO YOSHITOSHI (1839-1892) Taiso Yoshitoshi was born in the city of Edo (now Tokyo) just before Japan’s violent transformation from a medieval to a modern society. In the mid 19th century pressures from the United States and Europe brought an end to Japan’s two hundred years of self-imposed isolation. In 1868 a pivotal period began known as the Meiji Restoration. It was marked by the return of Imperial power, heightened militarism, a new constitution and industrial advancement, as well as social and political reform. In the midst of shifting values, woodblock print artists like Yoshitoshi struggled to create images that would satisfy the public’s changing tastes. During the Edo period (1600-1868) woodblock prints...

Title: Fireworks 花火 Series: The Second Collection of Modern Beauties (Gendai bijin shū dai nishū 現代美人集第二輯) Date: 1932 A young woman is shown enjoying the summer fireworks, her face shown in profile as she looks towards the display. She holds a summer fan on her lap, and her kimono features large blue stripes and is tied with a colorful obi that features a morning glory pattern. The summer evening sky is a soft grey rather than a deep black, perhaps reflecting the brightness of the fireworks. Numbered verso, from a limited edition of 250 prints. Condition: Excellent impression, color and condition. Publisher: Watanabe Shôzaburô Literature: See “All the Woodblock Prints of Shinsui Ito...

A fine, atmospheric impression, with fresh colors; the full sheet, in excellent condition. Signed 'Hasui' with the artist’s seal 'Kawase', lower left. Published by Watanabe Shozaburo with the Watanabe 6mm round seal indicating a lifetime impression printed between 1945 - 1957. Archivally sleeved, unmatted. Image size 14 1/4 x 9 3/8 inches (362 x 238 mm); sheet size 15 1/2 x 10 3/8 inches (391 x 264 mm). An impression of this work is in the permanent collection of the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, Achenbach Foundation. ABOUT THE ARTIST “I do not paint subjective impressions. My work is based on reality...I can not falsify...(but) I can simplify…I make mental impressions of the light and color at the time of sketching. While coloring the sketch, I am already imagining the effects in a woodblock print.” — Kawase Hasui Hasui Kawase (1883–1957) is the most celebrated Japanese print designer of the shin-hanga ('new prints') movement. His prints, produced under the guidance and discerning eye of his publisher, Watanabe Shozaburo, represent the modern legacy of the renowned 19th-century Ukiyo-e masters Hiroshige and Hokusai. Hasui was able to evoke the fleeting beauty of Japan during the interwar period as no other printmaker of his time could. Hasui's work enjoyed huge popularity upon producing his first print in 1918. Watanabe recognized and developed the enormous potential of the American market, resulting in Hasui's prints achieving high prices at auctions in New York as early as the 1920s. After the Second World War, his prints became highly sought-after collectible works among the American occupying forces in Japan. Hasui designed more than 600 prints during the 40-year span of his artistic career, and in 1956, he was named a 'Living National Treasure' of Japan. Hasui’s woodblock...

Arai Kanpo, 'Samurai Walking in the Snow' from 'Gishi Taikan' (Pictures of Loyal Followers), Forty-Seven Ronin Memorial Series, color woodblock print, 1920. Signed Kanpo with the art...

Hajime Namiki, 'Weeping Cherry 16 A', color woodblock print, 2012, edition 200. Signed in pencil with the artist’s red seal. Titled, dated, and numbered ...

Hokuto Tamamura (1893-1951), 'The Spirit of the Wine' (Shuten Dōji) - from Dai Chikamatsu Zenshu (The Complete Works of Chikamatsu)', color woodblock, 1923-26. Signed 'Hokuto'. A fin...

Anonymous, Japanese Kimono Fabric Design, color woodcut, c. 1930. A superb impression, with fresh colors, fine graduations, and metallic gold motifs, on ...