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Kiyoshi Saitō

Japanese, 1907-1997

Kiyoshi Saito was born in Fukushima Prefecture in 1907. At the age of five, he moved to Otaru in Hokkaido, where he would come to serve as an apprentice to a sign painter. Saito became infatuated with art after studying drawing with Gyokusen Narita and moved to Tokyo in 1932 to study Western-style painting at the Hongo Painting Institute. He began experimenting with woodblock prints and exhibiting his works with Nihon Hanga Kyōkai in 1936. Saito mainly worked in oil painting until his invitation from Tadashige Ono to join the Zokei Hanga Kyokai in 1938, at which time Saito made the woodblock print his primary medium. He worked with the Asahi Newspaper Company in 1943, where he met Kōshirō Onchi. This chance encounter led to an invitation to Ichimoku Kai and membership to Nihon Hanga Kyōkai in 1944. 

Saito’s printmaking career was put on hold due to the war. During the occupation, he sold his first print in an exhibit with fellow artists Un’ichi Hiratsuka and Hide Kawanishi. In 1948, Saito exhibited at the Salon Printemps, an event sponsored by Americans for Japanese Artists. At the Sao Paulo Biennale of 1951, Saito won first place for his print Steady Gaze. In competition with Japanese oil painting and sculpture, this was a turning point for Japanese printmakers: For the first time in Japanese history, prints overtook painting. This achievement roused the Japanese art establishment. In 1956, Saito was sponsored by the state department and the Asia Foundation to travel and exhibit around the United States and Europe. As a sōsaku-hangaartist, Saito’s prints are self-drawn, self-carved and self-printed. His early works are distinguished by an attention to realism and three-dimensionality. As his style evolved, his prints became flattened and two-dimensional, featuring strong and refined designs with color and texture. Kiyoshi Saito passed away in 1997.

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Kiyoshi Saito Woodblock Print 32/80 "Flower And A Girl"
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Japanese 1971 woodblock print titled "Flower Ana A Girl" 32/80 by Kiyoshi Saito. Image measures 15" x 21.5".
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1970s Unknown Modern Vintage Kiyoshi Saitō

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Kiyoshi Saito Signed Japanese Woodblock Print Spring in Aizu
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A gorgeously composed woodblock print by famed Japanese Sosaku Hanga artist/printmaker Kiyoshi Saito. Many consider Saito to be one of the most important, if not the most important, contemporary Japanese printmakers of the 20th Century. This print is of a rural village scene (his home village of Aizu) in Springtime with a farm woman making her way through the village, a woven hat in hand and a hoe resting over her shoulder. The work is signed in black ink and stamped/sealed in red by the artist within...
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Kiyoshi Saito Signed Japanese Woodblock Geisha Print Maiko Kyoto 2
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A beautifully and serenely composed woodblock print by famed Japanese printmaker Kiyoshi Saito. Many consider Saito to be one of the most important, if not the most important, contem...
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Kiyoshi Saito Signed Japanese Woodblock Geisha Print Maiko Kyoto 3
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A beautifully and serenely composed woodblock print by famed Japanese printmaker Kiyoshi Saito. Many consider Saito to be one of the most important, if not the most important, contem...
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Kiyoshi Saito Signed Limited Edition Japanese Woodblock Print Bisyamonten, Kyoto
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A beautifully designed and composed woodblock print by famed Japanese printmaker Kiyoshi Saito. Many consider Saito to be one of the most important, if not the most important, contem...
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1960s Japanese Showa Vintage Kiyoshi Saitō

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Kiyoshi Saito Signed Limited Edition Japanese Woodblock Print Nude E, 1966
By Kiyoshi Saitō
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A beautifully composed, relatively rare woodblock print by famed Japanese Sosaku Hanga printmaker Kiyoshi Saito. Many consider Saito to be one of the most important, if not the most ...
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1960s Japanese Showa Vintage Kiyoshi Saitō

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Kiyoshi Saitō furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Kiyoshi Saitō furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of paper and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Kiyoshi Saitō furniture, although gray editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original furniture by Kiyoshi Saitō were created in the modern style in japan during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Junichiro Sekino, Tadashi Nakayama, and Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III). Prices for Kiyoshi Saitō furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $595 and can go as high as $2,995, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $1,795.

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