Taiso Yoshitoshi

Ôkubo Hikozaemon Protects the Hidden Shogun Triptych

1884

"Sun, Moon and Stars". Three beauties enjoy a full moon on the veranda of a teahouse or restuarant. The woman on the left kneels and adjusts her lavishly printed kimono. The beauty in the center has her hair down, and behind her is a screen against which shadows are beautifully silhouetted, which adds an air of mystery. The seated woman on the right is perhaps a geisha, as we see a shamisen lying next to her. Before her is a tray with an assortment of foods. One may surmise that the beauties are being compared to the sun, the moon, and the stars. On the left we glimpse a full moon shining over the peaceful bay, and boats at harbor. Original first edition Japanese color woodblock print triptych...

A beauty turns to admire the Kirifuri Waterfall in Nikko Province. She holds the handle of an umbrella and wears fashionable clothing that is beautifully printed. This series pairs f...

Shichirigahama, Sagami Province. A beauty in the foreground waves to her young companions, who run towards her on the beach. The beauty at left wears a western-style golden ring. We ...

Painting for a Japanese magazine cover, or possibly a romance novel. One can infer from the dramatic juxtaposition that it may have been designed for a s...

An extraordinary ukiyo-e triptych by one of the greatest ukiyo-e artists of the 19thC, Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-1892). The triptych shows a dramatic scene from the epic, bloody four...

Kabukie - The Province of Rokuoku is an original artwork realized in 1862 by Utagawa Kunikazu (1830 - 1919) Chuban. From the series "Dai Nippon rokuju of Rikuoku" (60 provinces of Glorious Japan), The Province of Rokuoku. Meeting of the two rivals in the forest at night, Tanigoro with sumo apron and fan with the national colours. Signed: Kunikazu. Good impression, backed, glued at corners, oxidation, centrefold, a little bit rubbed. Utagawa Kunikazu (1830 - 1919) was a printmaker from Osaka. He had a famous teacher, the ukiyo-e artist Kunisada Utagawa...

Warriors are two original colored woodcuts print on paper, realized In 1865 By Ikeisai Yoshichika. The technique used for this artwork is the Nishiki-e, a type of Japanese multi-colored woodblock printing invented in the 1760s, and perfected by the printmaker Suzuki Harunobu. A Nishiki-e print is created by carving a separate woodblock for every color and using them in a stepwise fashion. This wonderful print represents the warrior battle...

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...